AfCFTA
AfCFTA is a proposed trade agreement involving all 54 African Union member states. The continental agreement seeks to enhance trade liberalisation, deregulate services and remove tariff and non-tariff barriers. The negotiations were launched in June 2015 and the deal was signed in March 2018 by 44 nations.
Economist Tapiwa Mashakada has said the African Continental Free Trade Area is going to suffer a serious setback as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The European Union is investing political capital in the African Continental Free Trade Area. What’s the state of play in getting the world’s largest free trade area off the ground? And why does the project matter so much for Europe?
While meetings to rubber stamp details of the African trade area agreement have been affected, its first trade is still scheduled for July 1.
TDM call for papers for a special issue on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement ("AfCFTA").
The Tunisian parliament is under increasing pressure to revisit its decision not to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
Target for first trade under continent-wide pact is July 1. Tariffs, rules of origin and protocols for services are yet to be agreed on.
The country’s tariff income is at risk under the deal, which requires African member countries to lower or cut tariffs.
The recently-launched Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement faces climate change risks that could prevent the continent from gaining maximum trade benefits from the agreement.
Despite being a major market in West Africa, Nigerian manufacturers have kicked against the exclusion of Nigeria’s priority products from the sensitive and exclusive lists of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.
The FTA initiative should be seen in the context of the Trump administration’s determination to pursue bilateral deals to enhance reciprocity and American gains.
The working groups are expected to develop strategic programmes that will help the government domestically address key constraints facing intra-African trade to allow the country to harness the full benefits of the AfCFTA.
Kenya’s proposed free trade deal with the US has put it in the crosshairs as critics say the planned bilateral agreement would be a breach of regional and continental trade protocols.
South Africa will in May hold an extraordinary summit of the African Union to finalise a continental free trade agreement.
President Donald Trump has announced the United States intends to initiate trade agreement negotiations with Kenya.
Pakistan is already in touch SACU, ECOWAS and EAC to negotiate trade agreements and also plans to take advantage of the opportunities that exists under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
Resolving these issues is crucial for EAC’s approach to opportunities from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement as a bloc.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, has warned that Nigeria will not tolerate smuggling and importation of substandard products.
It is more reasonable to concentrate on building regions and industrialising before attempting the African free trade area.
The GCC states are drawn to the African states’ promise, especially as the new continental trade deal will facilitate opportunities and unlock growth in parts of Africa that were previously difficult to access.
The United States and the African Union share a mutual desire to pursue deeper trade and investment ties, eventually leading to a continental trade partnership between the United States and Africa.
