Africa is building one of the largest trade markets in the world, but a critical question remains: will it also build a healthier continent?
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined GDP of about US$3.4 trillion, creating the largest free trade area in the world by membership.
On 19 March 2026, I walked into the AfCFTA Policy Roundtable at Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia expecting conversations about trade, markets, and economic opportunity. And those conversations certainly happened.
Across panels and discussions, experts explored how Africa can increase intra-continental trade, empower youth entrepreneurs, and accelerate innovation through agri-tech. These are powerful ideas and necessary ambitions, for a continent seeking economic transformation.
But somewhere between the panels and side discussions, a different question stayed with me:
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined GDP of about US$3.4 trillion, creating the largest free trade area in the world by membership.
On 19 March 2026, I walked into the AfCFTA Policy Roundtable at Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia expecting conversations about trade, markets, and economic opportunity. And those conversations certainly happened.
Across panels and discussions, experts explored how Africa can increase intra-continental trade, empower youth entrepreneurs, and accelerate innovation through agri-tech. These are powerful ideas and necessary ambitions, for a continent seeking economic transformation.
But somewhere between the panels and side discussions, a different question stayed with me:
Where does nutrition fit into all of this?
In the African region, not a single country is on course to meet the targets for anaemia in women of reproductive age (aged 15 to 49 years), low birth weight, diabetes among men, diabetes among women, obesity among men. Obesity among women. Twenty-six countries in the region have insufficient data to comprehensively assess their progress towards these global targets.
In 2025, 13 million children were malnourished in Eastern and Southern Africa.
In Zambia today, about 32 percent of children under the age of five are stunted, a sign of chronic undernutrition that affects physical growth, cognitive development. Long-term productivity.
This statistic reveals something important. A country can produce food, trade food, and expand agricultural markets while its population continues to face poor diet quality.
That is why food security is not the same as nutrition security.
Food security asks whether people have enough food.
Nutrition security asks whether people have access to diverse, safe, and nutrient-rich diets that support healthy lives.
Malnutrition does not only affect health; it also slows national development, weakens human capital, and threatens economic productivity.
As Africa moves forward with the AfCFTA framework, this distinction matters more than ever.
Trade policies influence what foods are produced, what products move across borders, and what ultimately reaches consumers in markets and households. If nutrition is not intentionally integrated into these policies, Africa risks strengthening trade systems without improving the quality of diets across the continent.
The AfCFTA represents an extraordinary economic opportunity. But alongside economic growth, there must also be a deliberate effort to strengthen food systems that support healthier populations.
So what would it look like if nutrition were intentionally built into Africa’s trade agenda?
First, it would mean prioritizing the production and regional trade of nutritious foods such as legumes, fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense crops.
Second, it would involve strengthening local and regional food systems that promote dietary diversity, rather than creating greater dependence on imported ultra-processed foods that offer little nutritional value.
Third, it would require investing in youth-led innovation across agriculture and food systems. Across Africa, young entrepreneurs are already developing solutions in agro-processing, food preservation, digital agriculture, and climate-smart farming. With the right policy environment, these innovations could drive economic growth while also improving nutrition outcomes.
Ultimately, the AfCFTA conversation should not only ask how much Africa trades, but also what Africa trades and how it improves the well-being of its people.
For me, attending the roundtable was more than just a policy discussion. It was a reminder that while Africa is building stronger markets, we must also build stronger food systems. Because the future we are shaping should not only be economically prosperous, it should also be well-nourished.
By Inambao Kamayoyo
Nutritionist / Policy Advocate