APD 2026: Gabon’s Vice President Holds Strategic Meeting with AfCFTA Secretary-General
A high-level delegation from Gabon and the AfCFTA Secretariat met at the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) headquarters on the fourth day of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2026 to discuss the Central African country’s strategic trade policies.
The Vice-President of the Government of Gabon, H.E. Barro Chambier Alexandre, led the delegation to the APN Secretariat on Saturday, 7 February 2026. The visit, part of a series of closed-door meetings, included a strategic session with the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), H.E. Wamkele Mene.
The engagement brought together four senior officials from Gabon and four representatives from the AfCFTA Secretariat to discuss the country’s economic reform agenda and opportunities for deeper engagement with pan-African initiatives.
Discussions focused on Gabon’s priorities under the AfCFTA, including finalising its tariff concession list, enacting necessary legislation, and signing the implementation decree to enable exports through the AfCFTA framework. The delegation highlighted ongoing work to develop a clear strategy that will establish greater openness and transparency.
The meetings were facilitated by APN Board Members Vanessa Roux and Kweku Sakyi Addo. APN’s Executive Chairman, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, also met with the Gabonese Vice-President, the AfCFTA Secretary-General, and Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Leveraging Africa’s Single Market
Speaking to the media afterwards, Mr Mene underscored the immense opportunities for Gabon within Africa’s single market of 1.5 billion people. He urged the country to leverage the AfCFTA framework as it embarks on a renewed economic reform agenda following its political transition.
“How Gabon can benefit from the AfCFTA is through this very significant market of 1.5 billion people. Gabon has just completed a transition, and the new government is very determined to have an economic reform agenda. At the heart of that agenda, what I understood from the Vice-President, is market diversification, leveraging the AfCFTA,” he stated.
Mr Mene expressed satisfaction that Gabon is re-engaging with the African Union and reclaiming what he described as its leadership role within Central Africa. He noted that renewed participation in continental trade and policy frameworks will be critical to the country’s long-term economic transformation.
