Negotiations for the liberalization of services under the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area: Stakeholder consultation guide

Abstract

The Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) entered into its operational phase on 1 July 2019 with 54 signatory countries. By June 2020, 30 countries had ratified the Agreement. The Agreement includes the Protocol on Trade in Goods, the Protocol on Trade in Services and the Protocol on Rules and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes. In addition, the Agreement also paves the way for the adoption of rules on investment, competition and intellectual property rights which are the topics for the second round of negotiations. Negotiations on trade in services (part of phase 1) in the second half of 2020 will culminate in the submission of schedules of commitments by States parties. The purpose of the present guide is to support negotiations on services under the Agreement through a simple tool by which negotiators can: map national and regional interests; anticipate the potential effects of liberalization on different stakeholders and the economy as a whole; and formulate offensive and defensive negotiating positions that take into consideration national and regional synergies while limiting conflicts.