African Trade Policy Centre
ECA’s Biha urges Africa to rally behind AfCFTA at African Economic Conference
Kigali, Rwanda, December 3, 2018 – Deputy Executive Secretary Giovanie Biha of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Monday issued an impassioned plea for countries that are yet to sign the historic African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to do so while also urging those that have already signed to ratify the accord so it can go into force.
Africa seeks to make international trade cheaper, faster and easier at Addis Ababa Forum
Addis Ababa, 26 November 2018 – African countries seeking to reduce the cost, time and complexity of interregional and international trade in goods and services will gather for the First African Forum for National Trade Facilitation Committees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 27–29 November.
Africa’s infrastructure deficit under spotlight as PIDA Week 2018 opens in Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, November 26, 2018 (ECA) – The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week 2018 opened in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Monday with a media breakfast that brought together journalists, infrastructure policymakers, development partners and private sector to discuss Africa’s infrastructure deficit and how that can be reduced to ensure inclusive development on the continent.
An empirical assessment of the African Continental Free Trade Area modalities on goods
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) recently conducted a new economic modelling analysis to assess the implications of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) modalities on trade in goods on African economies.1 The assessment is based on realistic scenarios in terms of the liberalization of trade in goods implied by the reform.
Assessing Regional Integration in Africa IX Report on AfCFTA Phase II issues
The aspiration is for the research to be highly applied: the knowledge gathered and produced should match the issues to be negotiated in the AfCFTA phase II negotiations and strive, wherever possible, to inform the content of the negotiations going forward. As such, the intention is for the research to form the intellectual groundwork underpinning the phase II negotiations.
Experts meet to set the stage for AfCFTA Phase II negotiations
Addis Ababa, November 12, 2018 (ECA) – A meeting of experts was hosted by the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) from November 12 to 15, 2018, in Addis Ababa at the United Nations Conference Centre to discuss the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Phase II issues.
African Trade Agreement: Catalyst for Growth
African Trade Agreement: Catalyst for Growth
Africa is growing, but not fast enough. In order for more than 400 million Africans to rise out of poverty, continued economic growth across Africa’s 54 nations will have to increase an average of 7% annually or more. One strong engine for growth is trade. But when it comes to trade, Africa is the least integrated region in the world, where intra-African exports were 18 per cent of total exports in 2016.
Recently, progress has come knocking—and loudly.