The African Continental Free trade Area (AFCFTA): An online training course

Abstract

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was launched at the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in Niamey, Niger on July 7, 2019 to date 54 African states have signed the Agreement, 27 have ratified it. The AfCFTA marks a critical milestone in Africa’s regional integration agenda. It has the potential of boosting GDP by up to 4% and intra-Africa trade by at least 52%. However, the AfCFTA marks the beginning of a journey, not the end of the road. So far, only negotiations on goods, services and dispute settlement have been concluded, Critical protocols on investment, competition, IPR and e-commerce are pending. The AfCFTA promises to deliver important gains to most African countries. However, their ability to capture these benefits will depend on several factors, their political commitment, their capacity to design and implement national strategies and mitigation policies, Their continued interest in remaining negotiations. This course is designed to promote such ownership by educating key stakeholders about the development promise of the AfCFTA. At the end of this online course, participants should be able to appreciate the role that regional integration could play in Africa’s economic growth and development; Understand the arduous process leading to the AfCFTA, and the way forward; Recall and understand key provisions of the AfCFTA agreement and its protocols; Critically assess what it would take for the AfCFTA to deliver on its promises; Evaluate the likely impacts of the AfCFTA — both in terms of gains and losses — on their respective country; Recommend, as part of a country AfCFTA strategy, measures that their government could take to leverage the opportunities arising from the AfCFTA and mitigate any short-term costs; Explain the fundamentals of the AfCFTA and its potential impacts to other interested parties.