Shettima Joins African Leaders in Pushing for AfCFTA Rollout at WEF

With the goal of increasing the continent’s GDP to $29 trillion by 2050, Vice-President Kashim Shettima has joined other world leaders in advocating for the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) accord.

At a summit titled “Friends of AfCFTA,” the world leaders announced their countries’ stances on Wednesday.

The event took place in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) current 2025 annual meeting.

Shettima reportedly reiterated during her remarks that Nigeria is prepared to lead the AfCFTA and capitalize on the market potential for digital transformation and African economic unity.

According to a statement released by his spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, the vice president also reiterated Nigeria’s dedication to the AfCFTA as a means of achieving shared prosperity.

Citing a Korn Ferry report that predicts a global human skill shortage of over 85 million people by 2030, Shettima was quoted as saying, “Africa stands in a unique position to take advantage of global talent deficits.”

“With 440 million inhabitants, Nigeria will overtake the United States as the world’s third most populous country by 2050.”

Nigeria’s technology prowess is driving it into the knowledge era, Shettima added, citing Africa’s expanding digital ecosystem.

“In Nigeria alone, we currently have 163 million internet users and 220 million telecom subscribers,” he continued.

“This gives us a ton of chances to empower our workers. India made roughly $120 billion from outsourcing alone last year, compared to our greatest oil export profits of $35 billion in 2011.

“The African Continental Free Trade Area is a bold declaration of our common destiny as much as an economic agreement.

“Africa is well-positioned to prosper in the post-industrial knowledge age, despite having missed the agricultural and industrial eras.”

The WEF president, Borge Brende, reportedly claimed that Africa’s population advantage offers the continent enormous economic potential.

Brende, while welcoming Shettima and other African leaders to the forum, pointed out the transformative potential of the AfCFTA — projecting that its full implementation could boost Africa’s economy to $29 trillion by 2050.

Brende said while most nations face workforce challenges, Africa’s young population positions it for unprecedented growth.

“If the secretary-general of AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene, is given all the support he deserves, we can boost intra-African trade by a staggering 50%,” the WEF leader was quoted as saying.

“As of today, $29 trillion represents one-third of the global GDP. Africa is such a growing continent, and one of its key promises is demography.”

Brende also said the major challenge in Africa is creating new jobs for the youth population.