The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and Casablanca Finance City (CFC), Africa’s leading financial centre, have jointly organized a high-level strategic dialogue in Casablanca to accelerate private sector engagement in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The dialogue, under theme “Connecting Africa – The AfCFTA Pathway,” was held on 23 July 2025. It brought together African private sector executives and representatives from major pan-African institutions, including Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Afreximbank, the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD), the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the Africa Commission of the Moroccan Employers’ Confederation (CGEM), OCP Group, Attijariwafa Bank, Africa 50, Tanger Med Zone, Orange, Africa Properity Network and experts from the Boston Consulting Group.

The sessions focused on evaluating the current state of AfCFTA implementation and emphasized the need to enhance private sector competitiveness, financing trade-enabling infrastructure, and operationalizing regional value chains. Participants also highlighted the need for a pragmatic approach to regional integration, anchored in the free movement of goods, people, and ideas, and unlocking new investment and trade opportunities.

Unlocking a USD 3.4 Trillion Market

With a population exceeding 1.5 billion and a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, Africa holds significant economic potential. Projections indicate that full implementation of the AfCFTA, through the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, could boost intra-African trade by 52% by 2035.

This momentum comes as Africa positions itself within a rapidly evolving global trade landscape, with 11 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies located on the continent, according to the IMF and World Bank.

Laying the Foundation in Casablanca

“We are here today to lay the foundation for a partnership with CFC, a key player capable of bringing together major operators in Morocco and Africa to harness the full potential of the AfCFTA,” said Joy Kategekwa, Director of Regional Integration at the African Development Bank. “It is regional actors who will build the business networks capable of catalysing investment, integrating regional value chains, and driving trade.”

Lamia Merzouki, Chief Operating Officer of Casablanca Finance City Authority, stated: “The successful implementation of the AfCFTA hinges on the effective mobilization of the private sector. That's what today's discussion with the African Development Bank is all about, looking at concrete tools to stimulate intra-African trade, identify relevant investment opportunities and facilitate the integration of African businesses into continental value chains.”

Achraf Tarsim, Country Manager of the Bank for Morocco, noted: “This regional approach is effective. We are already supporting it across the continent through strategic investments in transformative infrastructure — roads, ports, railways, logistics corridors—as well as dedicated credit lines to facilitate trade.”

Participants reiterated the urgency of bridging Africa’s annual infrastructure financing gap, estimated at $130 billion, to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.

Casablanca Call to Action

At the end of the meeting, the participants called for the creation of a platform dedicated to the private sector based on four operational priorities:

• Accelerate market access for African businesses through structured public-private dialogue and by providing practical tools such as market data, market entry guides, policy recommendations, and a continent-wide directory of bankable projects.
• Bridge infrastructure gaps to support “Made in Africa” by developing integrated and sustainable economic corridors (roads, ports, rail, and digital infrastructure) and by creating an attractive legal and regulatory environment to mobilize private capital, technical expertise, and regional operators.
• Enhance regional financial integration through capital markets harmonization, development of trade finance solutions, and mobilization of innovative instruments, including blended finance, pan-African funds, and tailored guarantees to scale up transformative projects.
• Position financial centres and business hubs as accelerators of the AfCFTA by creating an enabling business environment, attracting talent, building conducive ecosystems, and promoting Africa as an opportunity through awareness-raising, training, and advocacy initiatives.

The platform would act as a strategic tool to amplify the voice of the private sector in the implementation of the AfCFTA.