H.E. Wamkele Mene will take part in the 10th Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar, held online on Tuesday 25 August 2026 on the theme “Unlocking Value and Harnessing Growth in Non-Oil Export”.
The essentials
What 10th Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export
Who H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat
When Tuesday 25 August 2026, 09:00 Lagos time
Where Online. The session is streamed by the organiser on Zoom, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok
Theme Unlocking Value and Harnessing Growth in Non-Oil Export
Language English
Why the Secretariat is taking part
Export concentration is the problem the African Continental Free Trade Area was built to address. An economy whose export earnings rest on a single commodity carries a risk set by prices it does not determine. A continental market of over 1.4 billion people, with a combined gross domestic product of approximately 3.4 trillion United States dollars, is what allows a producer to sell something else, to a buyer closer to home, under preferential terms.
The participation also continues a sequence. Nigeria assumed the chairpersonship of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers responsible for Trade at the Council’s 18th meeting, held in Abuja on 30 June 2026, and the Secretary-General was in Abuja the following day for the All-Africa Intellectual Property Summit. He now addresses a Nigerian audience of exporters, financiers and public agencies.
What the session covers
The seminar addresses the practical conditions of non-oil export: access to markets, trade finance, customs and regulatory procedure, standards and buyer identification. The Secretariat’s established positions on these questions, including the instruments available to enterprises under the Agreement, are set out in the resources listed at the foot of this advisory.
Other participants announced by the organiser
The seminar’s announced speakers include Professor Benedict Oramah, immediate past President and Chairman of the African Export-Import Bank, a partner of the Secretariat on the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund and the Africa Trade Gateway, and Mrs Patricia Poku-Diaby of Plot Enterprise Ghana Limited. Panels announced by the organiser bring together the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, alongside private sector participants. The full programme is published by the organiser.
For media
The session is public and requires no accreditation; viewing details are published by the organiser. Interview requests to the Secretary-General should be addressed to the Communications Division of the AfCFTA Secretariat rather than to the organiser. Media wishing to obtain a recording of the Secretary-General’s remarks should write to the Division, which will take the request up with the organiser.
Background material on the Agreement, on the instruments available to enterprises and on the Secretariat’s recent engagements is available on the AfCFTA Media Hub, including a reference note on trade under the Agreement and a bank of quotations cleared for citation.
Notes to editors
The African Continental Free Trade Area is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, the African Union’s long-term development strategy. The Agreement establishing the AfCFTA entered into force on 30 May 2019 and trading under it began on 1 January 2021. It brings together the 55 member states of the African Union in a single market of over 1.4 billion people, with a combined gross domestic product of approximately 3.4 trillion United States dollars. By number of participating countries, it is the largest free trade area in the world. The Secretariat, based in Accra, Ghana, and led by H.E. Wamkele Mene, coordinates implementation with State Parties, the Regional Economic Communities and continental institutions.
Media contact
Alexandre Siewe, Senior Advisor, Communications Division, AfCFTA Secretariat. Alexandre.Siewe@au-afcfta.org, +233 302 986 252. Africa Trade House, Ambassadorial Enclave, Liberia Road, Ridge, Accra, Ghana. au-afcfta.org
