Sierra Leone launches AfCFTA trade guide and online portal to help businesses export

By Desmond Isaac Macauley

FREETOWN: The Ministry of Trade and Industry, with support from the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), on 16 October launched the Sierra Leone Step by Step Guide for Trading Goods under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), together with a Trade Information Portal.

The launch, held at the Lagoonda Conference Centre in Freetown, was themed “Bridging the Trade Information Gap: Empowering Sierra Leone Businesses to Trade Effectively under the AfCFTA.” The initiative aims to help local firms understand trade requirements and tap into African markets.

Deputy Minister of Trade Fatmata Kamara said the guide walks traders through the export process: registering and preparing a business for export, checking whether products qualify under AfCFTA rules of origin, identifying preferential tariffs in destination markets, obtaining certificates of origin, clearing customs, and meeting required standards. Written in simple language, it points traders to the relevant institutions when they need help.

She said the guide and portal would give businesses greater certainty by setting out the documents, procedures, agencies and costs involved. Clearer, more consistent processes, she added, could cut delays, repeat visits, confusion and informal payments.

Silvia Vides, head of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Sierra Leone, said the AfCFTA, in force since 2019, offers African countries a chance to transform their economies through industrialisation, value addition and diversification. The agreement covers more than 50 markets, about 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP above US$2 trillion. She said the new tools build on the AfCFTA Readiness Assessment Report, the national schedule of commitments on trade in goods and the updated National Trade Strategy 2024-2030.

Oluniyi Robbin Coker, President of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, urged government to streamline port procedures, reduce charges and cut administrative requirements for imports and exports, warning that high costs and complex processes could undermine local competitiveness. He also called for a more inclusive oversight mechanism for customs brokers licensed and regulated by the National Revenue Authority, with private sector participation, and pledged the Chamber’s cooperation with government, UNECA, the AfCFTA Secretariat and other partners.

The launch marks another step in Sierra Leone’s effort to turn the continental trade pact into exports, jobs, business expansion and inclusive growth.