The AfCFTA

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the critical lack of connecting infrastructure in Africa and its impact on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights significant gaps in road and air transport, the financial deficits in infrastructure funding, and the role of external investment from China.

• Africa suffers from a severe deficit in road infrastructure compared to global averages. The continent averages 204 km of roads per 1,000 km², with only 25% being paved, whereas the world average is 944 km per 1,000 km² with over 50% paved. South Africa contains most of the continent's paved roads, though these are deteriorating due to lack of maintenance and corruption.
• Infrastructure deficiencies lead to high transport costs and reduced business competitiveness. In certain East African countries, transport costs are estimated to be approximately five times higher than those in North America and Europe.
• The African Development Bank identifies a substantial annual infrastructure funding gap ranging from US$130 billion to US$170 billion, with a corresponding annual financing gap between US$68 billion and US$108 billion.
• Regional air travel remains constrained by bureaucracy and the protection of inefficient state-owned carriers, despite agreements like the 1988 Yamoussoukro Declaration and the 2018 Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). IATA estimated in 2015 that deregulating just 12 African countries could generate 155,000 jobs, US$1.3 billion in annual GDP growth, and 5 million new passengers.
• Recent infrastructure development and financing in Africa were largely driven by China's economic restructuring, which led to the export of spare infrastructure-building capacity through the Belt and Road Initiative.

APA

Chipanda, B., & Cilliers, J. (2026). The AfCFTA. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure

Chicago

Chipanda, Blessing, and Jakkie Cilliers. The AfCFTA. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure.

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=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure |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=04-need-for-connecting-infrastructure}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }