AfCFTA for African Food Manufacturers: Sell Across Borders (2026)

If you make food in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya or anywhere else on the continent, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) may change where you can sell. This guide to AfCFTA for African food manufacturers explains, in plain terms, what the agreement is, what rules of origin mean for packaged food, what the African Union says about non-tariff barriers and small businesses, and what you still have to handle yourself when you sell across borders. We do not quote tariff rates or percentage thresholds here, because they depend on the product, the countries and the schedule that applies, and the rules were still being completed in the texts we read. Confirm every detail with your national AfCFTA contact point and customs authority (information as of October 2026).

What AfCFTA is, in plain terms

The African Union describes the AfCFTA as an agreement with eight objectives, including creating a single market for goods and services and enhancing the competitiveness of the economies of State Parties. On its AfCFTA page, the AU says the agreement entered into force on 30 May 2019 and that trading under it began on 1 January 2021. The page defines rules of origin as the regime that sets the conditions under which a product or service can be traded duty free across the region.

For a food manufacturer, the practical point is this: lower duties apply only to goods that qualify as originating in a participating country. If your goods do not qualify, or you cannot prove they do, you may pay the normal duty.

Rules of origin for African-made food: the basic ideas

The African Union has published a compiled draft of the AfCFTA annexes, including the annex on rules of origin. Because it is a draft, with some provisions still marked outstanding, treat the following as an explanation of ideas, not a final rulebook. According to that text:

• A product is originating if it is wholly obtained in a State Party, or if it has undergone substantial transformation there. Wholly obtained categories include plants, live animals and fishing products, and goods made only from such products can qualify too.
• For goods that are not wholly obtained, the draft lists possible criteria: value added, the content of non-originating materials, a change in tariff heading, and specific processes. Product-specific rules for listed goods were marked as still to be inserted.
• Some operations, such as simple packaging or simple mixing, are described as insufficient on their own to confer origin.
• Materials that originate in one State Party and are processed in another can be treated as originating where the final processing takes place, under the draft's cumulation article.
• Proof of origin is a certificate of origin issued by the designated competent authority of the exporting country, or in certain cases an origin declaration.

Read the annexes yourself in the AU compiled annexes document, and ask your national authority which version and product-specific rules apply today.

What this means for a food manufacturer

Take three examples, described in general terms. A garri processor in Ibadan using locally grown cassava is working mainly with plant products from its own country. A pepper sauce maker in Kumasi may combine local peppers with imported oil, bottles and labels. A snack producer in Nairobi may use a mix of local flour and imported flavourings. In the second and third cases, the question of how much non-originating material is in the product, and whether the processing is substantial, matters. Keep a record of where each ingredient and packaging item comes from, because an origin certificate depends on documents you can show.

Three practical steps:

1. Know your tariff heading. Ask a customs broker or your customs authority which heading your product falls under.
2. Map your inputs. List each ingredient and where it comes from, and note which are imported.
3. Ask your national authority how to apply for proof of origin and which products and country pairs are currently covered.

AfCFTA does not remove the other rules

Duty treatment is one question. Product registration, labelling, food safety and import licensing in the destination market are separate questions. A product that qualifies for lower duties may still need registration with the regulator of the country you are selling into. Our guides to NEPC exporter registration in Nigeria, Rwanda and the East African Community and regional sales from Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal show how regional arrangements and national rules fit together.

Support for small businesses and complaints about barriers

In a February 2023 article, the African Union said the AfCFTA aims to support small and medium enterprises, women and young people, and mentioned an AfCFTA SME Financing Facility intended to improve access to finance. It also described a Non-Tariff Barriers mechanism that lets traders file complaints about obstacles they face when moving goods across borders, and a Guided Trade Initiative that connects businesses and products for trade between participating countries. You can read it on the African Union website. We cannot say what any of these programmes would offer your business today, so ask your national authority or trade promotion body.

Finding buyers and handling the logistics

Lower duties help only if someone orders. Distributors, wholesalers and retailers in other African countries are the natural buyers, and our guide on how to find bulk buyers for food products in Africa covers the routes. On Comilmart, buyers submit requests at /request-quotation, and approved suppliers can respond. The seller arranges and pays for shipping and delivery. Comilmart does not handle freight, customs clearance, duties or delivery, so work out your delivered cost and who is responsible for each step before you quote.

Frequently asked questions

Does AfCFTA make my food duty free everywhere in Africa? No one can say that for every product. The AU describes rules of origin as setting the conditions for duty-free trade, so your goods must qualify, and the schedule for your product and country pair matters.

What is a certificate of origin? In the AU's draft annex, it is documentary proof of origin issued by a designated competent authority in the exporting country.

Is packaging a product in my country enough to make it originating? The draft annex says simple packaging or simple mixing is insufficient on its own to confer origin.

Where do I complain about a border obstacle? The AU describes a Non-Tariff Barriers mechanism for traders. Ask your national AfCFTA contact point how to use it.

Do I still need NAFDAC, Ghana FDA or KEBS approval to sell in my own country? Yes, national product rules continue to apply. AfCFTA is about trade conditions between countries and does not replace your regulator.

Getting started

Understanding AfCFTA for African food manufacturers is only the first step. The next is putting your products in front of buyers who can order across borders. You can apply as a supplier for free at /apply-manufacturer, choosing the category that fits your products. Admin review is stated on the form as about 24 to 48 hours, and acceptance is not promised.