Africa will not become more competitive simply because the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) exists. Africa will become more competitive when businesses, governments and institutions understand what is preventing firms from competing—and work together to remove those barriers.
The AfCFTA presents one of the greatest economic opportunities in Africa's history, creating the potential for a single market of more than 1.4 billion people. Yet trade agreements alone do not create competitiveness. They create opportunity. Competitiveness is built through stronger businesses, more productive value chains, supportive public policy, investment in people, and the ability of enterprises to innovate while responding to the realities of the markets in which they operate.
This is precisely where Creating Shared Value becomes an important part of Africa's competitiveness agenda.
Over the past three years, Shared Value Africa has been building one of the continent's most comprehensive evidence bases on export competitiveness through its Africa Export Competitiveness Reports. Having completed two continental reports (2023/2024) and currently undertaking a third edition (2025), the research has sought to move beyond simply measuring export performance. Its objective has been to understand why some countries and industries compete more effectively than others, identify the barriers that continue to constrain growth, and provide practical recommendations that strengthen Africa's competitiveness across regional and global markets.
The findings reinforce an important lesson. Competitiveness is not created at the border. It is created long before a product reaches a port. It begins with productive businesses, skilled people, resilient supply chains, enabling institutions, efficient infrastructure, supportive policy environments and the ability of enterprises to respond to changing market demands. These are not separate economic issues; together they form the foundation of sustainable competitiveness.
This is also why competitiveness should be viewed through a Shared Value lens.
Creating Shared Value recognises that long-term business success depends on solving the societal and economic challenges that influence commercial performance. Businesses become more competitive when they strengthen local suppliers, invest in workforce capability, improve access to markets, support innovation, reduce inefficiencies and build stronger relationships across their value chains. In doing so, they create measurable business value while simultaneously contributing to broader economic and social progress.
Competitiveness, therefore, is not simply about exporting more products. It is about creating stronger businesses capable of competing consistently in regional and international markets. It is about improving productivity, increasing innovation, strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, expanding participation in value chains and creating the conditions in which businesses and communities can prosper together.
This is where research becomes invaluable.
Too often, discussions about competitiveness are driven by assumptions rather than evidence. Effective decisions require reliable data that identifies where barriers exist, how countries compare, which sectors offer the greatest opportunity and where investment can deliver the greatest impact. Evidence enables governments to develop better policy, businesses to make more informed investment decisions, and development partners to target interventions where they will have the greatest effect.
The Africa Export Competitiveness Reports were developed with this objective in mind. Rather than simply ranking countries, the research seeks to generate practical insights that help strengthen Africa's economic ecosystems. By identifying opportunities for improvement across policy, infrastructure, enterprise development and market readiness, the reports provide a roadmap for businesses, governments and institutions committed to building more competitive economies.
The importance of this work extends beyond trade.
Africa's long-term competitiveness will determine its ability to create quality jobs, attract investment, strengthen industrialisation, increase regional trade and improve living standards. These outcomes cannot be achieved by governments acting alone or by businesses pursuing commercial growth in isolation. They require collaboration between the public and private sectors, supported by credible research and a shared commitment to addressing the structural barriers that continue to limit economic performance.
This is where Shared Value Africa believes Africa's next chapter will be written.
Competitiveness is not an outcome that benefits business alone. It creates opportunities for entrepreneurs, strengthens value chains, expands employment, improves resilience and enables economies to grow more inclusively. When businesses succeed by helping society succeed, competitiveness becomes more than an economic objective—it becomes a catalyst for sustainable development.
As Africa continues its journey towards greater regional integration, the question is no longer whether trade agreements can create opportunity. The real question is whether businesses, governments and institutions are prepared to work together to build the competitiveness that transforms opportunity into lasting prosperity.
