The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene has been given the All Africa Intellectual Property Leadership and Continental Integration Award.
The award recognised Mene’s outstanding leadership in advancing implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and his contribution to strengthening Africa’s trade, industrialisation and continental integration agenda.
African Newspage, a leading pan-African multimedia publication in a statement to APA said awarding Mene has reinforced its commitment to advancing Africa’s intellectual property, trade and continental integration agenda.
The award is part of its broader mission to promote strategic dialogue on intellectual property, regional integration, industrialisation and sustainable development across Africa.
The organisers paid tribute to Mene’s stewardship of the AfCFTA Secretariat and acknowledged the institution’s progress in operationalising the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries.
Presenting the award, Kalu described Mene as a visionary continental leader whose stewardship has transformed the AfCFTA from a landmark agreement into a practical platform for trade, industrial development and economic opportunity across Africa.
Kalu said under Mene “the AfCFTA has continued to move from aspiration to implementation, from political commitment to practical economic opportunity, and from continental vision to an operational framework capable of reshaping Africa’s trade future”.
Accepting the award Mene welcomed closer collaboration with AAIPS and African Newspage, describing intellectual property as a strategic instrument for advancing Africa’s industrialisation agenda.
“The Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights is not just a legal instrument. It is an opportunity for us as a continent to leverage intellectual property to advance industrial development, strengthen public health through local pharmaceutical production, and reduce over-reliance on imports,” Mene said.
He further noted that the AfCFTA had completed negotiations on all its protocols and had transitioned fully to implementation, stressing the importance of stronger private sector participation in unlocking the Agreement’s full economic potential.