Beyond the AfCFTA vision: Building an African cotton, textiles and apparel regional value chain

Africa exports much of its raw cotton and imports much of the fabric its garment makers use. In May 2026, the AfCFTA Advisory Council launched a vision for a competitive, vertically integrated cotton, textiles and apparel regional value chain. For the AfRI Practice Hub, Agisanang Magooa and ECDPM's Mohammed El Maziani Haddouchi outline the council’s sectoral working group approach as a replicable model for AfCFTA implementation and highlight implementation challenges.