After trade commencement officially opened in January this year, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is finally here. Although it coincided with a global pandemic, rather than rain on the initiative’s parade, Covid-19 has actually helped to usher in this new era in trade on the continent.

And there are plenty of benefits and opportunities up for grabs. However, these cannot be conjured up in the comfort of a boardroom or behind a mobile device – no, tapping into this trade initiative will take more than strategy, timing, hard work and resilience. AfCFTA was established in May 2019 as a result of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement entered into between members of the African Union (AU).