The Pan-African Private Sector Trade and Investment Committee (PAFTRAC) is an advocacy platform bringing together public- and private-sector stakeholders to develop policy recommendations aimed at improving trade and investment flows across Africa. Its annual Africa CEO Trade Survey examines perceptions of business leaders in the continent economic outlook, trade environment and investment prospects (we commented the 2025 survey here). The 2026 edition draws on responses from more than 2,500 business executives, including Desiderio Consultants, which also participated in the survey. Although the full report has not yet been officially published, preliminary findings have circulated ahead of its formal release. The findings point to a central challenge for AfCFTA implementation: while reforms are beginning to generate tangible operational benefits, enterprises continue to face financial, informational and regulatory constraints that limit their ability to translate preferential market access into actual cross-border trade.

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Africa is progressively opening its markets to intra-continental trade, yet a substantial trade finance gap continues to constrain the commercial activity that market integration is expected to generate. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) illustrates this tension: reducing tariffs, improving preferential market access and addressing non-tariff barriers can make cross-border trade more attractive, but these measures do not ensure that businesses have the liquidity required to take advantage of new opportunities. Market access creates the conditions for trade. Finance helps firms turn those conditions into transactions. Without sufficient working capital, commercially viable opportunities may remain unrealised, regardless of the tariff preference available.

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