In 2025, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) jointly implemented a series of activities aimed at contributing to ongoing discourse and efforts towards advancing incorporation of human rights considerations in polices and processes of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mainly, a roundtable discussion was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February 2025, on the
margins of the 38th AU Summit, followed by a panel discussion held on the sidelines of the 4th African Business and Human Rights Forum held in Lusaka, Zambia, in October 2025.
The outcomes of these two events, along with a dedicated research, culminated in the publication of a State of Play Report on the Integration of Human Rights in the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The report, which maps and assesses regional
actors and initiatives advancing economic integration among African member states through human rights, and offers insights into the current status of efforts that aim to incorporate human rights considerations in the implementation AfCFTA, was launched in March 2026 in Addis Ababa, in the presence of relevant stakeholders including the AU Commission, representatives of the AU human rights bodies, civil society and development partners.
In the context of the above and with the strategic aim of disseminating the State of Play Report among the most pertinent policy actors, KAS and RWI plan to organise a roundtable
discussion, in Accra, Ghana, on 8 September 2026, at the Fiesta Royale Hotel.
Further to serving as an opportunity for propagating the outcomes of the study and its key policy recommendations, the planned event will offer the platform for reflecting on how to best translate commitments into concreate actions.
By bringing together representatives of the AU human rights bodies, relevant CSOs, trade unions and other partners, the discussion aims to engage the AfCFTA Secretariat to enable better alignment, coordination and collaboration in all continental efforts for enhanced integration of human rights standards in the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement.
It furthermore intends to shade light on some of the critical challenges and gaps impeding effective coordination between the relevant AU
mechanisms on human rights on the one hand and trade on the other hand, to provide
recommendations towards resolving these challenges and formulating actionable steps for
harmonisation of efforts.
speakers:
Interactive Panel Discussion and Audience Engagement – From Commitment to Action:
Addressing Coordination Gaps for Enhanced Implementation of AfCFTA through Human
Rights Lens
Speakers:
- Mr. Emmanuel K Bensah , Deputy Executive Director, AfCFTA Policy Network
- Mr. Clement Kadogbe, Head of Business & Human Rights, Commission on Human
Rights and Administrative Justice - ACHPR [TBD]
- Dr. Gladys Nkrumah, Director, Women of Africa Network (WOAN)
- Ms Winniefred Akoto-Sampong, Principal Program Officer, National African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM),
