Luanda, Oct. 20, 2025 (Lusa) - The United Nations local resident leader in Angola, Diego Zorrilla, has warned that the country will only be able to reap the benefits of the free trade agreement on the continent if it invests in reforms and supports small and medium-sized enterprises.
"Angola's success under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will depend on reforms that strengthen competitiveness, infrastructure and productivity, along with specific support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), women and young entrepreneurs, in line with the Prosperity Pillar of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF)," reads a statement from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) sent to Lusa today.
Zorrilla was speaking at the National Forum on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation Strategy and Action Plan, which took place last week in Luanda, where he also praised the government and reaffirmed the UN's continued support for the implementation of the AfCFTA Strategy.
The forum was "an important milestone in the country's quest for regional and continental trade integration" and follows Angola's accession to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) free trade area, the statement said.
The objectives of the event were to present the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa's outline and methodology to guide the development of Angola's African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation Strategy and Action Plan, to hold discussions with stakeholders to obtain their contributions and perspectives, and to explain the AfCFTA, its rationale and its protocols, according to the statement distributed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
For Angola, the agreement is a "strategic priority to drive economic diversification, regional integration and structural transformation across Africa," said Secretary of State for Trade and Services Augusta de Carvalho Fortes, highlighting the Lobito corridor as a project that "positions Angola as a logistics and industrial hub for Southern Africa."
The African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation Strategy and Action Plan "offers Angola a historic opportunity to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil," said AfCFTA Secretariat representative Gilberto António.
The free trade agreement is an integration project involving more than 1.4 billion people and mobilising an economic potential of US$3.4 trillion (€2.9 trillion) in Africa. It was approved by the African Union in 2019 and 49 countries have already ratified the treaty.
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