‘AfCFTA gives Africa power to change terms of trade’
The AfCFTA not only unleashes a new dynamic in terms of market size, investment and productive capacity but will also allow Africa to renegotiate terms of trade that are skewed against it, says ITC executive director Pamela Coke-Hamilton.
Share
The International Trade Centre (ITC) is one of the most effective institutions in helping countries, and more particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) become globally competitive. It does so by identifying the comparative and/or competitive advantages of these local businesses and building their productive capacity to integrate global value chains.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton became executive director of ITC last October after a long career at UNCTAD and at the Caribbean Export Development Agency, where she was tasked with strengthening the private sector and MSMEs through investment promotion. She has been living and breathing trade for the last decade.
Originally from Jamaica and representing the islands of the Caribbean, she understands the challenges faced by small, disparate markets. At the same time, she has seen at first hand the bargaining power presented by countries acting together as a single entity as well as the appeal of dynamic emerging markets.
The #AfCFTA provides a unique opportunity for African businesses to trade in a new single market.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","databaseId":34112,"modified":"2021-02-17T06:00:00","id":"cG9zdDozNDExMg==","title":"‘AfCFTA gives Africa power to change terms of trade’","slug":"afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade","date":"2021-02-17T06:00:00","excerpt":"
The AfCFTA not only unleashes a new dynamic in terms of market size, investment and productive capacity but will also allow Africa to renegotiate terms of trade that are skewed against it, says ITC executive director Pamela Coke-Hamilton.
\n","featuredImage":{"node":{"sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web.jpg","altText":"Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC)","mediaDetails":{"sizes":[{"name":"medium","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-300x272.jpg","width":"300","height":"272","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"thumbnail","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-150x150.jpg","width":"150","height":"150","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"fbo-center","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-700x636.jpg","width":"700","height":"636","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"preview-post-two","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-400x363.jpg","width":"400","height":"363","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"preview-post-three","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-300x272.jpg","width":"300","height":"272","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"preview-post-seven","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-200x182.jpg","width":"200","height":"182","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"feature-post-block","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-500x454.jpg","width":"500","height":"454","__typename":"MediaSize"},{"name":"feature-post-block-xl","sourceUrl":"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web-600x545.jpg","width":"600","height":"545","__typename":"MediaSize"}],"__typename":"MediaDetails"},"media":{"icpMediaLicense":["Other"],"icpMediaSource":null,"__typename":"Media"},"__typename":"MediaItem"},"__typename":"NodeWithFeaturedImageToMediaItemConnectionEdge"},"categories":{"nodes":[{"name":"Business","slug":"trade-investment","__typename":"Category"},{"name":"Finance","slug":"finance-services","__typename":"Category"}],"__typename":"PostToCategoryConnection"},"author":{"node":{"name":"sshah","slug":"sshah","__typename":"User"},"__typename":"NodeWithAuthorToUserConnectionEdge"},"yoastPrimaryCategory":{"node":{"name":"Finance","slug":"finance-services","__typename":"Category"},"__typename":"PostToCategoryConnectionEdge"},"postSettings":{"authorsCustom":null,"articleQuote":null,"__typename":"PostSettings"},"icpSponsors":{"nodes":[],"__typename":"PostToIcpSponsorConnection"},"__typename":"Post","tags":{"nodes":[{"__typename":"Tag","id":"dGVybTo0NQ==","name":"dossier_feature","slug":"dossier_feature"}],"__typename":"PostToTagConnection"},"seo":{"title":"'AfCFTA gives Africa power to change terms of trade' - African Business","metaDesc":"","canonical":"","opengraphTitle":"'AfCFTA gives Africa power to change terms of trade' - African Business","opengraphDescription":"The AfCFTA not only unleashes a new dynamic in terms of market size, investment and productive capacity but will also allow Africa to renegotiate terms of trade that are skewed against it, says ITC executive director Pamela Coke-Hamilton.","twitterTitle":"","twitterDescription":"","schema":{"raw":"{\"@context\":\"https://schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade\",\"url\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade\",\"name\":\"'AfCFTA gives Africa power to change terms of trade' - African Business\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https://african.business/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-17T06:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https://african.business/#/schema/person/ff5f1338de1955e99e615d5ddb9667e3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https://african.business/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/pamela-coke-hamilton_cantoinetardy_005-web.jpg\",\"width\":816,\"height\":741,\"caption\":\"Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https://african.business/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https://african.business/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"‘AfCFTA gives Africa power to change terms of trade’\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https://african.business/#website\",\"url\":\"https://african.business/\",\"name\":\"African Business\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https://african.business/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https://african.business/#/schema/person/ff5f1338de1955e99e615d5ddb9667e3\",\"name\":\"sshah\",\"sameAs\":[\"https://african.business\"],\"url\":\"https://african.business/author/sshah\"}]}","__typename":"SEOPostTypeSchema"},"__typename":"PostTypeSEO"}}},"errors":null,"statusCode":200,"loaderHeaders":{},"matches":[{"params":{"year":"2021","month":"02","category":"finance-services","slug":"afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade"},"pathname":"/","pathnameBase":"/","route":{"path":"/","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"errorElement":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"children":[{"index":true,"element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-0","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"*","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-1","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":":year/:month/:category/:slug","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-2","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"sectors/:slug","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-3","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"search","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-4","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"login","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-5","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"complete-profile","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-6","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"account","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-7","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"subscriptions","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-8","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"authors/:slug","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-9","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"dossiers","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-10","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"dossiers/:slug","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-11","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"partnerhub","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-12","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"partnerhub/:slug","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-13","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"/newsletters","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-14","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"/events","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-15","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"types/opinion","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-16","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"types/interview","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-17","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"terms-conditions","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-18","hasErrorBoundary":false},{"path":"privacy-cookies","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-19","hasErrorBoundary":false}],"id":"0","hasErrorBoundary":true}},{"params":{"year":"2021","month":"02","category":"finance-services","slug":"afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade"},"pathname":"/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade","pathnameBase":"/2021/02/finance-services/afcfta-will-give-africa-power-to-change-terms-of-trade","route":{"path":":year/:month/:category/:slug","element":{"key":null,"ref":null,"props":{}},"id":"0-2","hasErrorBoundary":false}}],"actionData":null,"actionHeaders":{},"_deepestRenderedBoundaryId":"0"};
