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  1. Negotiations

Africa

Bilateral deal-making involving governments of Africa.

photo: World Bank/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Decades of trade deals fail to wean Nigeria off crude oil dependence
29-Jan-2026 The Guardian
Despite two decades of being handed preferential access to global markets, Nigeria remains trapped in oil dependence as many deals fail to deliver the much-needed diversification.
Ghana risks becoming net consumer instead of producer under AfCFTA
29-Jan-2026 News Ghana
Ghana’s growing imports under the AfCFTA, without a corresponding rise in exports, could erode the country’s industrial base and dilute the core objectives of the continental trade pact, an international trade expert has warned.
Kenya, UAE seal landmark trade deal to boost agriculture
27-Jan-2026 Sacco Review
Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the first such trade deal between the UAE
Kenya strikes preliminary duty-free trade deal with China
22-Jan-2026 Reuters
Kenya has struck a preliminary trade deal with China that would give 98% of its exports duty-free access to the large Chinese market, the Nairobi government said on Thursday, with a full, final agreement in the pipeline.
17 African countries remain in limbo as US extends AGOA to 2028
22-Jan-2026 Business Day
Seventeen African countries, including Ethiopia, Uganda and Zimbabwe, remain in trade limbo even as the African Union (AU) welcomed the US House of Representatives’ approval of a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Nigeria, UAE strike trade pact to scrap tariffs on over 7,000 products
17-Jan-2026 Business insider Africa
Nigeria has signed a far-reaching trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates that will eliminate tariffs on thousands of products and deepen economic ties between Africa’s largest economy and one of the world’s most dynamic trading hubs.
Ghana proposes trade framework with US amid AGOA uncertainty
17-Jan-2026 News Ghana
Ghana and United States (US) officials held high level discussions in Washington recently on establishing a comprehensive trade cooperation framework as both nations navigate post African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) economic relations.
Cameroon-Morocco agreement targets new investment flows as IPA signs promotion pact in Rabat
12-Jan-2026 Business in Cameroon
Cameroon’s Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) signed an investment promotion agreement with Morocco to expand cross-border projects and strengthen economic cooperation. The deal, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, sets out a framework for closer collaboration, as Cameroon intensifies efforts to draw regional investors into its economy.
US passes AGOA extension bill, but South Africa still on edge
12-Jan-2026 The Star
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to be extended by a further three years.The committee, which described the trade initiative as “the cornerstone of economic relations between the US and Sub-Saharan African nations", did not mention any exclusion of South Africa in its statement.
Eastern Africa moves to harmonize inland waterway transport policies for seamless multimodal trade
26-Dec-2025 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Regional Experts convened in Kampala for a Validation Workshop on Inland Waterway Transport Policy Harmonization, aimed at unlocking the potential of Eastern Africa’s vast network of lakes and rivers to support sustainable trade and regional integration.

    Links

  • African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) legal texts and policy documents
    Tralac’s page on the African Continental Free Trade Area
  • SEATINI Uganda
    The Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) is a regional non-governmental organization founded in 1996 soon after the WTO Singapore Ministerial Conference — mainly focusing on WTO, but also bilateral and regional trade negotiations in Africa.
  • SEATINI Zimbabwe
    The Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) is an African initiative to strengthen Africa’s capacity to take a more effective part in the emerging global trading system and to better manage the process of globalization.