Wamkele Mene

Wamkele Mene serves as the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. He was elected to this position during the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States & Government of the African Union. Before his role as Secretary-General, Mene held the position of Chief Director for African Economic Relations at the Department of Trade & Industry of South Africa, where he played a crucial role as South Africa's chief trade negotiator in the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTA negotiations. Mene's extensive experience includes serving as Director for International Trade Law & Investment Law at the Department of Trade & Industry, representing South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and working for prestigious law firms in London and Hong Kong. He holds degrees from Rhodes University, the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), the University of London, and the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE).