Advancing EU-Africa Cooperation in Light of the African Continental Free Trade Area

The policy brief examines how the EU can support the implementation of the AfCFTA to foster African economic integration and resilience. It identifies structural hurdles such as non-tariff barriers and infrastructure deficits, and recommends that the EU reorient its trade support, focus on institutional capacity building, coordinate efforts to match local needs, and engage directly with the African private sector.

• The AfCFTA has the potential to significantly boost intra-African trade, with the IMF estimating a 15-25 percent increase in trade among members in the medium term if tariffs are removed as planned.
• The success of the AfCFTA is threatened by a poor historical record of regional economic integration in Africa, characterized by implementation gaps, institutional weaknesses, and a lack of political will among national elites.
• While the EU provides substantial Aid for Trade (AfT) to Africa—providing 58 percent of total AfT disbursed from EU institutions in 2017—this support is highly concentrated in six countries: Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
• Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and infrastructure deficits are critical obstacles that could offset the gains from tariff reductions; the World Bank suggests the largest gains from the AfCFTA would come from reducing NTBs and implementing trade facilitation reforms.
• There is a critical lack of financial resources to help African firms and industries manage the structural adjustment costs associated with increased competition under the AfCFTA.
• The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the AfCFTA's launch from July 2020 to January 2021 and highlighted Africa's vulnerability due to its dependence on imports for essential medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and food.

APA

Webmaster (2020). Advancing EU-Africa Cooperation in Light of the African Continental Free Trade Area. African Center for Economic Transformation. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/policy-briefs/advancing-eu-africa-cooperation-in-light-of-the-african-continental-free-trade-area/

Chicago

Webmaster. Advancing EU-Africa Cooperation in Light of the African Continental Free Trade Area. African Center for Economic Transformation, 2020. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/policy-briefs/advancing-eu-africa-cooperation-in-light-of-the-african-continental-free-trade-area/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webmaster |title=Advancing EU-Africa Cooperation in Light of the African Continental Free Trade Area |publisher=African Center for Economic Transformation |date=24 September 2020 |url=https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/policy-briefs/advancing-eu-africa-cooperation-in-light-of-the-african-continental-free-trade-area/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webmaster2020advancing, author = {Webmaster}, title = {{Advancing EU-Africa Cooperation in Light of the African Continental Free Trade Area}}, institution = {African Center for Economic Transformation}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/policy-briefs/advancing-eu-africa-cooperation-in-light-of-the-african-continental-free-trade-area/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }