AfCFTA services trade 2025 push aims to unlock Africa’s next growth engine

Friday 12th December 2025

by inAfrika Newsroom

AfCFTA members are stepping up work on AfCFTA services trade 2025 implementation, as a new policy brief urges African governments to turn legal commitments on services into real market openings in transport, finance, communications, tourism and business services.

The analysis, released this month by youth-led trade coalition ICOYACA, argues that services now account for the largest share of value added in modern economies and are vital “lubricants” for industrialisation and value chains. The AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services commits countries to cut regulatory barriers and create a single, integrated African services market across four modes of supply.

So far, 47 AfCFTA parties have submitted initial offers covering the five priority sectors. Yet many markets still have opaque licensing rules, weak mutual recognition of qualifications and restrictive visa regimes that limit the movement of engineers, health workers and other professionals.

The AfCFTA services trade 2025 agenda also overlaps with the new Digital Trade Protocol, whose eight annexes were adopted earlier this year. That protocol seeks harmonised data rules, e-commerce standards and digital ID systems to support cross-border delivery of online services by African firms.

Next steps for AfCFTA services trade 2025

The brief calls for each member state to establish a high-level national committee on services trade, tasked with aligning domestic regulations, consulting industry and tracking implementation. It also recommends fast-tracking mutual recognition agreements for key professions and simplifying temporary work permits under AfCFTA services trade 2025 rules.

Regional economic communities such as EAC, ECOWAS and SADC are expected to pilot deeper liberalisation and share lessons before commitments are scaled continent-wide. Trade officials say that better services—especially logistics, payments and communications—will make it easier for African companies to use AfCFTA preferences for goods as well.

Why it matters

Africa’s growth story cannot rely only on exporting raw materials. Competitive banking, logistics, telecoms and professional services are essential for manufacturing, agribusiness and the digital economy.

If AfCFTA services trade 2025 reforms move from paper to practice, a Kenyan insurer could serve clients in Côte d’Ivoire, a Senegalese architect could design housing in Rwanda, and a Tanzanian logistics start-up could coordinate trucks across borders—all under one continental rulebook.