Ethiopia held a national stakeholder consultation on new trade guidelines and a digital information portal designed to facilitate trade in goods under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The consultation, which took place in Addis Ababa, focused on validating a Step by Step Guide and a Trade Information Portal developed to simplify procedures for businesses seeking to trade under the continental free trade framework.
The forum was organized by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI) and the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA), in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and Expertise France.
Speaking at the opening of the forum, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Kassahun Gofe said Ethiopia had taken a series of measures to implement the AfCFTA since ratifying the agreement in 2019. These included introducing tariff liberalization measures under Regulation No. 574/2025 and officially beginning exports under the AfCFTA framework in October 2025.
According to the minister, Ethiopia’s exports under the AfCFTA reached USD 23.6 million by August 2026, reflecting the country’s growing participation in continental trade.
He said limited product diversification, capacity constraints within the private sector and a lack of clear and easily accessible trade information remained among the major challenges preventing businesses from fully benefiting from the free trade area.
The new guidelines and digital portal were developed to help address these challenges, particularly for micro, small and medium sized enterprises, women and young entrepreneurs.
The portal brings together information on legal and regulatory requirements, product classification, customs procedures and documentation on a single platform. Officials said the system was designed to reduce procedural complexity, costs and delays faced by traders.
The AfCFTA brings together markets across more than 50 African countries, covering about 1.4 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of more than USD 3.4 trillion. Intra-African trade is expected to increase significantly as implementation of the agreement progresses.
The two day consultation at Skylight Hotel brought together senior government officials, representatives of UNECA and development partners, as well as private sector stakeholders.
Source: Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration
