By Kadijatu Bangura reporter D.S
Freetown, May 11, 2026 Sierra Leone is stepping up legal and institutional preparations to defend its trade interests under the African Continental Free Trade Area, Deputy Justice Minister Saptieu Elizabeth Saccoh said Monday as she opened a capacity-building workshop on the AfCFTA’s dispute settlement system.
Addressing participants at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Saccoh said the training is critical to ensuring the country can interpret, implement, and enforce its rights and obligations under Africa’s flagship trade pact. She delivered the remarks on behalf of Attorney General and Justice Minister Alpha Sesay, stressing the ministry’s lead role in treaty interpretation, legal advisory services, and protecting national interests.
Saccoh called the AfCFTA one of Africa’s most ambitious legal and economic projects, designed to expand market access, boost intra-African trade, and create a rules-based system capable of resolving disputes fairly among member states.
She noted Sierra Leone’s early backing of the agreement, recalling its April 2019 ratification that helped trigger the pact’s entry into force on May 30, 2019. Sierra Leone also became the first African country to gazette its national tariff concession schedule and complete its AfCFTA Readiness Assessment, she added.
On dispute resolution, the Deputy Minister explained that Article 20 of the agreement establishes a structured mechanism comprising a Dispute Settlement Body, Adjudicating Panels, and an Appellate Body with binding decisions. Because the system operates state-to-state, local businesses must channel trade grievances through government.
That reality, Saccoh said, places a heavy duty on the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice to assess legal merits, advise government, and defend Sierra Leone’s position in trade disputes.
She urged closer coordination between government institutions, customs and regulatory agencies, legal practitioners, technical experts, and the private sector to make the AfCFTA work in practice. Participants were encouraged to use the training to strengthen the country’s readiness to engage and benefit from the continental framework.
Saccoh closed by reaffirming government’s commitment to building the legal capacity, institutional coordination, and technical expertise needed to turn AfCFTA commitments into concrete economic gains.
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