Wamkele Mene

Wamkele Keabetswe Mene

Wamkele Keabetswe Mene is a South African trade diplomat and public official who became the inaugural Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat in 2020. The African Union reappointed him in February 2024 for a second and final four-year term, and an AfCFTA Secretariat-associated publication identified him as Secretary-General in July 2026.

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About Wamkele Mene

Profile information current to 2026-08-22.

South Africa · Trade diplomat, Public official

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Known for: African trade integration; International trade policy and negotiations; International trade and investment law
Country: South Africa

Trade diplomat
Public official

At a glance

Mene is the inaugural Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
The African Union reappointed him in February 2024 for a second and final four-year term.
Before leading the Secretariat, he held senior South African trade-policy roles and served as a chief negotiator in the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTA negotiations.
He represented South Africa at the World Trade Organization at deputy-ambassador rank from 2010 to 2015 and chaired the WTO Committee on Trade in Financial Services.

Leadership of the AfCFTA Secretariat

The African Union Assembly appointed Mene as the first Secretary-General of the AfCFTA in February 2020, and he was sworn in at African Union headquarters the following month. The Assembly reappointed him in February 2024 for a second and final four-year term. An AfCFTA Secretariat-associated publication continued to identify him as Secretary-General in July 2026.

Trade policy and negotiating career

Mene's earlier public service included senior positions in South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, where he worked on Africa economic relations, international trade law and investment law. Institutional biographies identify him as a leader of free-trade-agreement negotiations with African partners and as South Africa's chief negotiator in the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTA negotiations.

World Trade Organization experience

From 2010 through 2015, Mene represented South Africa at the World Trade Organization in Geneva at deputy-ambassador rank. During that service, he chaired the WTO Committee on Trade in Financial Services.

Education and professional grounding

Mene holds a BA in Law from Rhodes University, an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy specializing in international economics from SOAS, University of London, and an LLM in Banking Law and Financial Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Timeline

2010 Began a posting representing South Africa at the World Trade Organization in Geneva at deputy-ambassador rank; the posting ran through 2015.
2020-02-10 Appointed by the African Union Assembly as the first Secretary-General of the AfCFTA for an initial four-year term.
2020-03-19 Sworn in as the first Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.
2024-02 Reappointed by the African Union Assembly for a second and final four-year term as AfCFTA Secretary-General.

Additional verified details

Current context

Mene was identified as Secretary-General of the AfCFTA in an AfCFTA Secretariat-associated publication. This is the most recent direct institutional status confirmation in the supplied evidence. The African Union approved his second and final four-year term in February 2024.

Biographical facts

Mene is a South African national and trade diplomat.
He holds a BA in Law from Rhodes University, an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy specializing in international economics from SOAS, University of London, and an LLM in Banking Law and Financial Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
During his World Trade Organization service, Mene chaired the WTO Committee on Trade in Financial Services.
In South Africa's trade department, Mene led free-trade-agreement negotiations with African trading partners and was identified in institutional biographies as South Africa's chief negotiator in the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTA negotiations.

Connections

Affiliations

Affiliations associated with Wamkele Mene.

African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat Secretary-General present
South Africa Department of Trade and Industry Chief Director: Africa Economic Relations
South Africa Department of Trade and Industry Director: International Trade Law and Investment Law
World Trade Organization South African representative at deputy-ambassador rank 2010–2015
South Africa Department of Trade and Industry