18/08/2025
Intra-African Trade Surges to $220 Bn in 2024 as AfCFTA Gains Traction
Hereโs what to know: In 2024, trade among African nations saw a significant rebound, surging to $220.3 billion, marking a notable 12.4% increase from the previous year following a 5.9% decline in 2023, as reported in Afreximbankโs African Trade Report 2025.
This resurgence was powered by stronger activity in South Africa, Nigeria, and Morocco, solidifying their roles as intra-African trade engines. Nigeria, in particular, more than doubled its intercontinental trade to $18.4 billion, surpassing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which grew more modestly to $11.4 billion.
Dr. Yemi Kale, Afreximbankโs Chief Economist, emphasised that despite global uncertaintiesโincluding inflation, sovereign debt, and trade finance gapsโthe data shows clear momentum in intra-African commerce: โAfricaโs trade recovery in 2024 underscores how regional integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is boosting resilience.โ
He added that while continental GDP growth surpassed 3% in 2024โ25, only a fraction of Africaโs trade potential has been realised. The AfCFTA aims to lift this by driving deeper into industrial value chains and reducing barriers.
Rising StarsโNigeria, DRC and Uganda:
- Nigeria: Fuelled major intra-trade growth, climbing to second place with 8.3% of total African trade.
- DRC: Benefited from its strategic geography and expanding rail corridors, notably linking to South Africaโs Durban and Tanzaniaโs Dar es Salaam, playing a pivotal role in regional logistics.
- Uganda: Entered the top 10, with a 28% year-on-year rise to $7.6 billion in trade.
- Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda: Each posted robust gains, reinforcing East Africaโs growing intra-regional connectivity.
While primary commodities such as minerals and agricultural products still dominate Africaโs trade, Afreximbank notes an accelerating shift toward industrial outputโparticularly machinery, motor vehicles, food products, chemicals, and electronics. Strengthening logistics and manufacturing value chains is key to sustaining this shift. โThis evolution signals the continentโs gradual move from commodity-export dependency toward industrial diversification,โ said Faisal Durrani, Research Lead at Pan-African Trade Analysts.
The AfCFTA, which aims to eliminate tariffs on 97% of intra-African tradable goods, is central to this progress. However, only 24 countries are actively trading under its frameworkโa bottleneck highlighted by AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene, who warned that Africa must build value chains itself to withstand global trade upheavals.
Read more: https://meobserver.org/business-economix/global-trade-entrepreneurship/2025/08/04/intra-african-trade-surges-to-220-bn-in-2024-as-afcfta-gains-traction