Professional Affiliation

African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Minerals

Expert Bio

Ambassador Albert Mudenda Muchanga is the African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals. In addition to these broad areas, the portfolio also covers: investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic integration, economic policies and research, statistics and oil and gas.

He is formerly Commissioner for Trade and Industry. In this position, he provided strategic leadership in facilitating negotiation, conclusion and ratification of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which entered into force on 30th May 2019 and whose start of trading was launched on January 1, 2021. In addition, Ambassador Muchanga provided similar leadership on matters of trade, industrialization, mining and customs cooperation. He mobilized the African private sector to play a greater role in the AfCFTA, culminating in the establishment of the African Business Council, Pan-African Manufacturers Association and Association of Chambers of Mines and other Mining Associations in Africa.

Ambassador Muchanga previously worked in the Zambian Civil Service at home and abroad, including as Permanent Secretary, Ambassador of Zambia to Brazil, Ambassador of Zambia to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and as Deputy Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Ambassador Muchanga works with ease at technical, professional, management, leadership and political levels.