The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement entered into force on 30 May 2019 for the 24 countries that had
deposited their instruments of ratification with the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson. This date marked 30 days
after the 22nd instrument of ratification was deposited, as stipulated in Article 23 of the AfCFTA Agreement.
The operational phase of the AfCFTA Agreement was officially launched on 7 July 2019. On 7 October 2022, the AfCFTA
Secretariat launched the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative in Accra, marking the commencement of trade under the Agreement
