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Dakar, October 27, 2026 - For the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to translate into jobs, Senegal will need businesses capable of producing more, adding value through local processing, and competing beyond its borders, economists and development experts said during a webinar held in Dakar on 27 October. The discussion was organized by the Senegal, a platform through which United Nations economists working in the country pool their analyses to inform national public policies. The hybrid session, attended online by Aminata Maiga, Senegal, focused on deepening African economic integration and the AfCFTA. “Of course, economic development is the first thing that comes to mind, but ultimately, and most importantly, what interests us is how this development can benefit people,” said Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane, Director of the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) and co-chair of the Group. “One of the recurring questions is whether opening our borders will lead to losses in revenue and taxes. It is important to explain that while there may be some losses, there are also significant gains in increased intra-African trade, job creation, and value addition within countries,” she added.  Agreements Alone Are Not EnoughAfrica is not lacking plans, stressed moderator Dimitri Sanga, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa and co-chair of the Group. In his view, the Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty, and Agenda 2063 are all “high-quality frameworks.” The challenge, he said, is “to move from strategies and frameworks to implementation and reality.” Presenting his book Africa’s Quest for Deeper Integration, Joseph Atta-Mensah of the African Center for Economic Transformation emphasized that integration should transform African economies through investment, competition, productivity, and innovation. A trade agreement produces results only when governments implement it, banks finance trade, and businesses make use of it, explained Albéric Kacou, former Vice-President of the African Development Bank Group and former Senegal. “You cannot distribute regionally what you do not produce,” he said. What Holds Senegalese Businesses BackMarkets across the subregion, particularly Mali, already purchase Senegalese cement, food products, and pharmaceuticals, recalled Mouhamadou Bamba Diop, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation. “The State has done a great deal,” he noted. However, he stressed that “overall productivity has not kept pace.” According to him, the government should reduce its involvement in certain economic activities and improve the business climate to enable Senegalese companies to become more productive and expand into markets beyond West Africa. Limited access to financing and costly, unreliable electricity continue to constrain small and medium-sized enterprises, which form the backbone of Senegal’s economy, explained Marème Ndoye, Associate Professor at the Dakar. A preference for imported goods also remains a challenge. Following independence, Senegal had a significant industrial base, she recalled. “Gradually, however, we lost much of that industrial capacity and became increasingly dependent on imports.” Where Senegal Can StartAlbéric Kacou recommended that Senegal treat the AfCFTA as the regional dimension of its long-term development strategy, Senegal Vision 2050, and focus on a limited number of regional value chains, including agribusiness, fisheries, pharmaceuticals, and digital services, where the country can generate significant added value. The Senegambia Bridge has already improved connectivity between Senegal and The Gambia. According to Kacou, its impact could be much greater if linked to the agricultural basin of Casamance, cold-chain infrastructure, storage facilities, and subregional markets. “A successful corridor is not merely one that connects two borders. It is one that links production areas to markets and attracts investment along its entire route,” he said.  Bringing People Into the ConversationAt Place du Souvenir in Dakar, a cashew nut vendor once asked Dimitri Sanga what benefits AfCFTA would bring her. She was already selling her products as far as the border with Guinea, he recounted. Yet moving across borders remains difficult.Referring to the signing of the agreement in Kigali, Sanga recalled the four freedoms relating to the movement of goods, services, capital, and people. “We cannot truly realize a free trade area if people themselves cannot move freely,” he said. During the discussion, participants also shared the testimony of a woman entrepreneur travelling to Mali, who spends hours waiting at the border without access to basic facilities. The success of economic and trade measures ultimately depends on the support of the people concerned, said Jean-Luc Aka-Evy, Ambassador of the Republic of the Congo to Senegal and President of the Dakar. “How can all of this work if we do not first understand the aspirations of our peoples? Do they share the same desire to live and prosper together?” he asked. Integration inspires cautious optimism among Marjorie Jennifer Kayode Mongbo, a young researcher with the Youth Economists Network of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. “I have heard about this project since I was born, yet little has become operational,” she said. “Despite that, we remain optimistic because we have seen similar integration efforts succeed on other continents.” “And our view is that we need to pause, assess what has worked and what has not, and draw lessons,” said Marème Ndoye, stressing the importance of involving citizens, the private sector, and civil society in that process. The Group will seek to incorporate the priorities expressed during the discussion and translate them into joint initiatives for Senegal, while considering each country within its regional context, said Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane. The Group is also working to move beyond GDP-based measures toward a more people-centred approach to development.