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

This policy brief examines the strategic opportunities and challenges for cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Africa following the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It argues that the AfCFTA allows the EU to move beyond traditional development aid toward a political partnership based on equal terms, while highlighting the need for the EU to align its investment and trade support with the AfCFTA's goals to foster African economic resilience and productive capacity.

• The AfCFTA is the largest economic integration initiative in terms of participating countries since the World Trade Organization was created 25 years ago. While the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its launch from July 2020 to January 2021, the agreement's potential for economic development remains high.
• The International Monetary Fund suggests that removing intra-African tariffs as scheduled could increase trade among members by 15-25 percent in the medium term. The World Bank notes that the most significant gains would likely result from trade facilitation reforms and the reduction of non-tariff barriers (NTBs).
• Successful implementation of the AfCFTA faces several hurdles, including a poor historical record of regional economic integration, lack of political will among national elites, and institutional weaknesses. Structural challenges include the need to bridge regional differences, ensure benefits reach women and marginalized groups, and address infrastructure deficits and productive capacity gaps.
• The EU provides significant Aid for Trade (AfT) to Africa, which was the main recipient of such support for over a decade. In 2017, Africa received 40 percent of total EU and EU member state AfT, and 58 percent of AfT disbursed by EU institutions alone.
• EU support for the AfCFTA is delivered through various channels, including the Pan-African Programme, the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs, the External Investment Plan for Africa and the EU Neighborhood, and bilateral programs from states such as Germany, France, and Denmark.
• EU support for Africa is currently unevenly distributed, with half of the support absorbed by six countries: Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Tanzania, and Tunisia. Support for least-developed countries has not increased significantly for ten years.
• The document recommends four key areas for the EU to strengthen cooperation: reorienting trade support around the AfCFTA as a central pillar, supporting broader economic reforms (such as logistics and e-commerce), coordinating efforts to align with local needs via a joint declaration at the next AU-EU Summit, and engaging directly with the African private sector.

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} }