The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has concluded a high-profile mission to Angola with a renewed push to transform African industrial production into continental trade, announcing plans to mobilise businesses, investors and development finance institutions to accelerate implementation of Africa’s single market.
The mission, led by AfCFTA Secretary-General H.E. Wamkele Mene at the invitation of the Government of Angola, culminated in high-level talks with Angola’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, H.E. Dr Rui Miguêns de Oliveira, where both sides agreed to deepen private sector participation, improve access to trade finance and organise an intensive business engagement that will connect African enterprises with continental development finance institutions.
The visit carried a clear message from Luanda’s International Trade Fair (FILDA 2026) to the country’s expanding industrial base: Africa’s industrialisation must be matched by seamless continental trade.
During the mission, the Secretary-General visited the AMUFERT natural-gas-to-fertiliser complex in Soyo, a US$2 billion investment developed by the OPAIA Group that is expected to produce about 1.38 million tonnes of granulated urea annually, enough to satisfy Angola’s domestic fertiliser demand while supplying markets across Africa. The project is also projected to create approximately 4,700 jobs during construction and operations.
He also toured the OPAIA Motors vehicle assembly plant in the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone, where vehicles proudly bear the inscription “Made in Africa for the world.”
The two industrial projects, facilitated by the OPAIA Group, were presented as practical examples of the industrial transformation the AfCFTA seeks to promote, processing African resources within Africa before supplying the continent’s rapidly expanding market.
Reflecting on the visits, Mr. Mene underscored the importance of linking industrial production with continental market access.
“The industrialisation of our continent will be led by Africans. Africa is a net food importer and we do not have to be. By producing our own fertilisers and processing our own resources, we tackle food insecurity at its root while creating value and prosperity here on the continent.”
The Secretary-General explained that manufacturing alone is not enough. Factories achieve their full economic potential only when their products can move freely across borders under the AfCFTA. Products that satisfy the Agreement’s Rules of Origin and are accompanied by the AfCFTA Certificate of Origin qualify for preferential tariff treatment, allowing African-made goods to access a continental market of 1.4 billion people.
Earlier in the mission, H.E. Mene attended the 41st Luanda International Trade Fair (FILDA 2026) as Guest of Honour of the Government of Angola, joining Angola’s Minister of State for Economic Coordination, H.E. José de Lima Massano, to engage manufacturers, exporters and entrepreneurs exhibiting products ranging from agro-processing to advanced manufacturing.
The Angola mission reflects the AfCFTA Secretariat’s growing emphasis on moving beyond ratification toward practical implementation by creating stronger links between production, investment and trade across Africa.
Summing up the Secretariat’s vision, the Secretary-General repeatedly challenged African producers and consumers with a simple but powerful message: “Produce locally, trade continentally. What Africa makes, Africa can buy.”
With Angola positioning itself as an emerging industrial hub and the AfCFTA opening access to the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries, the mission reinforced a shared ambition: transforming African factories into continental suppliers and ensuring that the benefits of industrialisation are realised across Africa rather than beyond its borders.