The AfCFTA

The AfCFTA is a comprehensive free trade agreement aimed at creating a single market for goods and services across Africa, targeting the removal of tariffs on 90% of goods and the reduction of non-tariff barriers to drive industrial development and economic growth.

• The AfCFTA is designed as a single market for goods and services covering nearly 1.5 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately US$2.7 trillion as of 2023. If fully implemented, it would be the largest trade agreement since the World Trade Organisation was established in 1995.
• Unlike standard trade agreements that focus only on goods, the AfCFTA includes disciplines on electronic commerce, competition policy, intellectual property rights, investment, dispute settlement, and trade in services.
• The agreement seeks to drive growth and sustainable development by eliminating non-tariff barriers and removing tariffs on 90% of goods. A study by the Trade and Law Centre (tralac) indicated that a 20% reduction in the time required to move goods across borders would provide greater economic benefits for Africa than the total removal of all import tariffs.
• The AfCFTA is intended to enhance Africa's competitiveness in global value chains and develop regional value chains to expand both intra-continental and extra-continental trade, serving as a milestone for poverty reduction.

APA

Chipanda, B., & Cilliers, J. (2026). The AfCFTA. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=06-afcfta

Chicago

Chipanda, Blessing, and Jakkie Cilliers. The AfCFTA. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=06-afcfta.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chipanda |first1=Blessing |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=The AfCFTA |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=06-afcfta |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chipanda2026afcfta, author = {Chipanda, Blessing and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{The AfCFTA}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=06-afcfta}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }