On 21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, 44 AU member States signed the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Since then, an additional eight member states have also signed the agreement, and twenty-three have ratified the agreement of which twenty-two have already deposited the instruments of ratification. The AfCFTA will therefore enter into force on 30th May 2019, one month after the 22nd instrument of ratification has been deposited. The AfCFTA is expected to generate a range of socioeconomic development benefits through supporting trade creation, structural transformation, productive employment and poverty reduction. The realization of these benefits, however, will require quick ratification by all and effective implementation of the Agreement, along with range of supporting policies to address other barriers to trade, investment and industrialization. In this context, there is an urgent need to build on the currentpolitical momentum to support expeditious and timely ratification and implementation of the AfCFTA agreement.