With the growing inter-regional trade co-operation within and across continents, innumerable opportunities to deepen economic and commercial ties between and amongst middle-income and advanced economies have been opened up.As the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) lapses in 2025, the need to prepare well in advance for a transition to complement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to which Kenya is a signatory, cannot be gainsaid.Although commencement and operationalisation of AfCFTA has been delayed from July 1 due to the threat posed by Covid-19, all efforts should be made to use post-pandemic period as best implementation phase.In these unprecedented times, every country is experiencing increased slowdown in all sectors with a reciprocal decline of imports and exports in a largely interdependent global economy informing trickle-down effects in all production and value addition chains.No doubt, many African countries have started realising a substantial decline in a number of areas — notably; food supply, textile, horticulture, tourism and hospitality industries, to mention a few.The pandemic poses a risk to the implementation and vision of the AfCFTA. But the reverse could also be true if market integration by African leaders with the support of the private sector and business organisations could turn this into an opportunity with stronger collaboration and specific policies are mooted for post-Covid-19 pandemic.