The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism: Lessons for the AfCFTA Review Process

The research paper discusses the establishment of the AfCFTA Implementation Review Mechanism (AFIRM) in July 2024 to address delays in the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. It argues that the AFIRM's current focus on direct compliance assessments may cause state resistance and suggests adopting the WTO's TPRM approach—focusing on transparency and general trade policy—to ensure member buy-in and avoid the blocking of reports by the Council of Ministers.

• The AfCFTA Implementation Review Mechanism (AFIRM) was established in July 2024 to address the failure of full trading to commence by the expected January 2021 date. The mechanism involves periodic assessments of states parties every five years to determine if they have met their AfCFTA commitments.
• There is a risk that the AFIRM's direct assessment of whether states parties have met their obligations may cause resistance and non-cooperation. Furthermore, because the Council of Ministers generally makes decisions based on consensus, a state party unhappy with its review report could potentially block that report's adoption.
• To secure the cooperation of states parties, the author recommends that AFIRM review reports be modeled after the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM). The TPRM is supported because it emphasizes transparency and the broader trade policy regime rather than making definitive assessments of compliance with obligations.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2025). The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism: Lessons for the AfCFTA Review Process. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wtos-trade-policy-review-mechanism-lessons-for-the-afcfta-review-process/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism: Lessons for the AfCFTA Review Process. 2025. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wtos-trade-policy-review-mechanism-lessons-for-the-afcfta-review-process/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism: Lessons for the AfCFTA Review Process |date=16 January 2025 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wtos-trade-policy-review-mechanism-lessons-for-the-afcfta-review-process/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2025wtos, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism: Lessons for the AfCFTA Review Process}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-wtos-trade-policy-review-mechanism-lessons-for-the-afcfta-review-process/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }