If Africa is serious about a free trade area, it must act quickly and differently
Negotiators will need to take heed of the growing resistance to mega trade deals by ordinary citizens, write Samuel Oloruntoba and Chris Changwe Nshimbi
Africa is moving towards crystallising an ambitious integration agenda of establishing a continental free trade area by October. This comes against a backdrop of an apparent trend away from mega-regional trade agreements in both Europe and the US. African leaders appear to be undaunted by this. Their commitment to a continental-wide free trade area was firmed up in Addis Ababa in November 2016. Ministers and negotiators from the 54 members of the African Union (AU) held their fourth round of negotiations for establishing the free trade area. There is a huge amount to be gained from a free trade area for Africa. Compared with the other regions of the world, intra-African trade is the lowest of any region in the world at 10%. Intra-regional trade in Europe is 60%. Within the association of Southeast Asian Nations it is 30% and in South America 21%. If well designed and implemented, a free trade area for the continent could change this. It could also set countries on a path of transfor...
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