AD 2021: Making AfCFTA Work

December 13, 2021

The African Continental free Trade Area (AfCfTA) finally entered into force on the first month of 2021, after the 22nd country ratified the agreement. It is a one of the flagship projects of the African Union 2063 agenda, but It is a first step on a long journey to African Economic integration. Reaping the benefits of this mega-project still relies on the effective implementation and the path of the ongoing negotiations on several pending “technicalities”. The impact of AFCfTA can be muted if, for example, non-tariffs Barriers are not flexible and set too complex for African traders. Analysts agree that full implementation is still not expected in the foreseeable future, as more critical questions need to be agreed upon in the next phases, such as investment, competition policy, etc. besides, the lack of access to trade enabling-infrastructure can seriously undermine the scope of the trade agreement. African leaders are, thus, called to put in place a comprehensive and fully fledged infrastructure policy, to advance trade connectivity and remove trade bottlenecks. Should we be confident about the future of the AFCfTA? What role of local industrial policy in the promoting of intra-african trade? How can the AFCfTA set the stage for a new economic partnership with world economic powers?

Speakers
Landry Signé
Senior Fellow
Professor Landry Signé is Senior Fellow at Policy Center for the New South. He is also a Professor and Senior Director at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, where he co-founded and is leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Globalization 4.0 Center and co-leading the Washington DC Regional Center of Excellence. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution, Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University, Chairman of the Global Network for Africa's Prosperity, Senior Adviser to top global leaders (presidential, ministerial, and C-suite levels) in business, policy, and international affairs. In addition, he has been on numerous boards and councils including for the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, Ampio ...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    April 9, 2024
    Un proverbe africain dit, seul on va plus vite ; ensemble on va plus loin. C’est dans cet esprit de l’action et du leadership collectifs que s’insère l’initiative de l’Afrique atlantique initiée par le Maroc et qui vise la création des conditions nécessaires pour la construction d’une région Afrique/Atlantique stable, prospère et tournée vers la mer. À cette première initiative s’est ajoutée une deuxième, celle de la facilitation de l’accès à la mer aux pays du Sahel, e ...
  • December 13, 2021
    The African Continental free Trade Area (AfCfTA) finally entered into force on the first month of 2021, after the 22nd country ratified the agreement. It is a one of the flagship projects of the African Union 2063 agenda, but It is a first step on a long journey to African Economic inte...
  • September 10, 2021
    Le bilan des relations Europe/Méditerranée et Europe/Afrique invite aujourd’hui à un renouveau de ces partenariats. Un renouveau car il y a retrait partiel de l’Europe en ce qui concerne les questions de développement du voisinage Méditerranée-Afrique dans un temps où les partenariats actuels [de Barcelone et celui de Cotonou] s’emboitent dans la logique du commerce (libre-échange) et de l’aide financière. Le renouveau du partenariat Euro-méditerranée-Afrique devrait s’inscrire dans ...
  • Authors
    July 16, 2021
    The BDA Currents: Where Diplomacy Meets Business, is the Brussels Diplomatic Academy’s annual report covering the wider geopolitical and other factors influencing and affecting the world of diplomacy, international relations and global business. The journal focuses on issues of topical interest around the centers of global power, influence and importance, including the continents of Europe and Africa, the Middle East, China, India & Asia, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independe ...
  • Authors
    December 11, 2019
    The Atlantic Current’s 6th edition provides overview, fresh insights, latest data, and broader analysis on the Atlantic space’s current challenges, as well as their implications for the South. Different chapters explore emerging trends and critical issues, such as the World Trade Organization reform, Brexit and the future of EU, the expansion of militancy in the Sahel and Coastal Africa, the role of cultural diplomacy and the deepening of Sino-African relations within a shifting an ...
  • Authors
    Hala Boumaiz
    November 15, 2019
    The effects of new technologies on the ways in which we think, govern, work and socialize are already posing complex problems for decision-makers, citizens and corporates, leading to reactions of rejection that reflect fear or lack of preparation in coping with digital transformations. Due to these changes, the classical patterns shaping our society - be it within the political, economic, or social spheres - have been rapidly altered. With this fast-paced transformation, the general ...
  • December 14, 2017
    Moderator: Jordi Bacaria, General Director, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs - Newai Gebre-ab, Executive Director, Ethiopian Development Research Institute, former Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia - Paulo Neves, President, Institute for the Promotion of...
  • December 14, 2017
    Moderator: André Caillé, Board Member, Junex - Eric Festa, Senior Vice President, LNG Business Development, Total - R. Andreas Kraemer, Founder & Chairman, Ecologic Institute - Thione Niang, Co-Founder of Akon Lighting Africa - Simone Tagliapietra, Research Fellow, Bruegel ...