Egypt has applied to host the principal executive office of the planned the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), said Nameerah Najm, the legal adviser of the African Union (AU).

The agreement will enter into force later this month as 22 countries have signed and approved it, Najm told a training course organized by the AU legal adviser's office in Cairo.

The AU Commission has formed technical committees to assess preparations of countries that have applied to host the principal executive office of the agreement, she said.

Egypt, Ghana and Eswatini are among those countries, she noted.