Climate Change and Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa

This research paper by Jamie MacLeod and David Luke of the London School of Economics examines the obstacles preventing the effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). While African leaders view the agreement as a tool for transformative growth and post-COVID-19 recovery, technical disputes—specifically regarding rules of origin—have stalled the transition from negotiation to operational trade.

• The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is currently stalled between the negotiation and implementation phases. Despite the agreement entering into force in May 2019 and the announcement of a January 2021 start date for trade, significant commercial trade has not yet materialized as of February 2022.
• The primary technical obstacle to the launch of trade is the failure to finalize rules of origin. While the AfCFTA Council of Ministers decided in January 2022 to proceed with rules already agreed upon for 87.7% of tariff lines, the lack of clarity for the remaining products has led many countries to hesitate in making full commitments.
• The COVID-19 pandemic diverted political attention toward health and economic shocks, such as supply chain disruptions and fiscal revenue losses, which slowed the AfCFTA's progress. However, unlike the economic crises of the 1980s that collapsed the 1980 Lagos Action Plan, the pandemic did not stop the momentum of the AfCFTA, with 44 African Union member states having ratified the agreement by February 2022.
• Regional economic powers, such as Kenya and South Africa, are urged to provide leadership by making concessions on rules of origin to stimulate trade. The authors note that these regional economies across Africa's five regions represent half of the continent's GDP.

APA

Rodriguez, D. E. (2023). Climate Change and Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16378

Chicago

Rodriguez, Dr. Elena. Climate Change and Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16378.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Dr. Elena |title=Climate Change and Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=12 October 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16378 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rodriguez2023climate, author = {Rodriguez, Dr. Elena}, title = {{Climate Change and Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/16378}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }