South Africa's preferential exports have steadily increased since the start of preferential trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement on January 31, 2024, says Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield.

From January 2024 to March this year, South Africa’s exports under AfCFTA preferences amounted to about R820-million of a diverse range of products, including mining equipment, appliances, food items, apparel, plastics and electrical machinery.

“South Africa's main export destinations within the AfCFTA framework currently include Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Rwanda, Cameroon and Algeria,” he notes.

Imports from AfCFTA Agreement implementing countries, such as Kenya, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, amounted to about R610-million during the period from January 2024 to March this year.

AfCFTA is a policy tool that seeks to promote the economic integration, industrialisation, infrastructure development and sustainable economic development of both South Africa and the continent at large and foster the development of regional value chains, Whitfield says.

Africa’s economic integration agenda is important in the current environment of geopolitical competition and continued economic uncertainties, with growing protectionist measures and the movement from globalisation to regionalisation of production value chains, he adds.

AfCFTA is a step towards deepening continental integration by negotiating free trade in goods and services. AfCFTA is a suitable platform for economic transformation and development of Africa, and aims to put the continent on a sustainable growth path, he says.

“As of April 2025, 48 Provisional Schedules of Tariff Concessions covering 90% of the tariff books have been adopted by the AfCFTA Council of Ministers of Trade for implementation. Twenty-three countries have concluded their national domestication processes and gazetted their tariff schedules for implementation,” outlines Whitfield.

However, although progress has been made, there are still structural and policy-related barriers, which require attention at a continental level and from each of the AfCFTA State parties, he adds.

“The non-implementation of commitments remains a key concern. We have been the subject of tariff measures and non-tariff barriers in our regional agreements.

“While we continue to prioritise the resolution of these barriers bilaterally and multilaterally, we need to establish a mechanism to quickly and effectively respond in a manner that does not negatively impact our exporters,” Whitfield says.

South Africa will continue to collaborate with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the African Union Commission and the other Southern African Customs Union member States to ensure full implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement.

To ensure that businesses capitalise on AfCFTA opportunities, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) has several initiatives,including planned export promotion initiatives where support will be offered to the private sector and businesses to connect them with buyers and importers. The aim is to promote integration into regional and global value chains.

Further, South Africa is establishing the AfCFTA National Implementation Committee to ensure a coordinated effort between government and stakeholders to maximise opportunities and minimise challenges, he adds.