Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday reiterated his country's support of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

El-Sisi made the pledge in a meeting with the AfCFTA Secretary General Secretary General, Wamkele Mene, who is on an official visit to the North African country.

"The President affirmed Egypt's full support for the activities and work of the agreement, which represents a promising start for continental integration in Africa, in pursuit of the desired economic and trade integration for the African countries," said a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

"The President also asserted that Egypt is fully prepared to provide its expertise, in this regard, for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to enter into force, indicating that the stability factor is extremely important to provide a favorable environment for the success of the efforts and activities made to keep the agreement on track."

On his part, Mene affirmed his keenness to benefit from Egypt's development experience with a view to enhancing the efforts of the AfCFTA and achieving success.

The AfCFTA's operational phase was launched at the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU), which was held from 7 – 8 July 2019.

The free trade area is expected to create a market for over a billion people, with a GDP of approximately US$2.6 trillion.

Various leaders have hailed the AfCFTA, terming it a game changer in Africa's trade sector.