An African Continental Free Trade Area: Imperatives for Realizing a Pan-African Market

Africa is embarking in one of its major regional integration projects since the African Union was conceived. The idea of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) gained traction through an African Union Decision and Declaration which mandated the establishment of the pan-African free trade area by 2017. Considerable progress has been made since, with the official renaming of the CFTA to AfCFTA and subsequent launch of AfCFTA negotiations. A major prerogative for the realization of an AfCFTA is that 54 African States make liberalization concessions for the common benefit of market access. This chapter therefore looks at what needs to be considered in the negotiation of an AfCFTA in terms of scope, disciplines, operability, institutional governance and coexistence in the multilateral environment. It proposes prerequisites that give content and help realize a prospective AfCFTA which is functional and can deliver on the promise of greater intra-African trade.