International Trade and AfCFTA Consultant, Louis Afful, has underscored the urgent need for Africa to prioritise technical skills, manufacturing capacity, and industrial competitiveness if the continent is to benefit meaningfully from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Speaking in an interview on Bullet TV’s Business and Growth programme, Mr Afful cautioned against overreliance on academic qualifications without practical industrial application.
“You cannot industrialise with certificates alone. Industrial revolutions are built by technical hands, skilled technicians, and applied knowledge, not by theory without tools,” he stated.
He further described the AfCFTA not as a symbolic free market arrangement, but as a highly competitive economic environment that demands strong production and manufacturing systems.
“The AfCFTA is not a free market dream; it is a competitive battlefield. Countries that cannot produce, manufacture, and add value will not integrate; they will be overwhelmed,” Mr Afful warned.
According to him, Africa’s development challenges are not due to a shortage of resources or human capital, but a lack of deliberate industrial action.
“Africa does not lack resources or youth power; what we lack is industrial courage — the courage to protect our industries, build our factories, and compete deliberately on the global manufacturing map,” he added.
Mr Afful stressed that without bold industrial policies, skills development, and investment in value addition, African economies risk remaining consumers rather than producers within the AfCFTA framework.