The AfCFTA Implementation Challenges

This research paper examines the implementation challenges of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), focusing on the economic disparities between member states and the resulting risks for Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

• Significant economic heterogeneity among African nations poses a major obstacle to AfCFTA implementation. Disparities are evident in population size, with countries like Comoros and Seychelles having fewer than one million people while Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt exceed 100 million. GDP gaps are also stark, with Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt each having GDPs over US$300 billion, compared to nations like Gambia and South Sudan with less than US$2 billion.
• The AfCFTA may initially disadvantage the 33 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) due to their low productivity, weak domestic production capacities, and geographic challenges, such as 14 of them being landlocked. Implementation risks include firm closures, higher unemployment, and revenue losses as tariff revenues decline. Some countries, including the Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comoros, and DR Congo, rely on intra-continent tariff revenues for more than 5% of their government revenues.
• To address economic imbalances, the AfCFTA utilizes special and differential treatment for tariff liberalisation. Non-LDCs have five years to liberalise 90% of non-sensitive products, while LDCs have 10 years. A specific 'Group of 6' (G6)—comprising Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—has secured a longer 15-year phase-out period. For sensitive products, LDCs have 13 years to eliminate tariffs, compared to 10 years for non-LDCs.
• Political and administrative hurdles persist regarding the agreement's adoption and specific protocols. As of January 2023, Eritrea had not signed the agreement, and only Rwanda, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, and Mali had ratified the Protocol on the free movement of people. Additionally, several countries had not yet submitted Provisional Schedules of Tariff Concessions (PSTCs) as of January 2023, including Djibouti, Libya, Mozambique, Somalia, the Saharawi Republic, and Sudan.

APA

Chipanda, B., & Cilliers, J. (2026). The AfCFTA Implementation Challenges. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=09-implementation-challenges

Chicago

Chipanda, Blessing, and Jakkie Cilliers. The AfCFTA Implementation Challenges. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=09-implementation-challenges.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chipanda |first1=Blessing |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=The AfCFTA Implementation Challenges |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=09-implementation-challenges |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chipanda2026afcfta, author = {Chipanda, Blessing and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{The AfCFTA Implementation Challenges}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=08-afcfta&topic=09-implementation-challenges}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }