Five years later, is the AfCFTA already failing? {Business Africa}

AfCFTA: An Ambitious Project Hindered by Many Obstacles

Signed on May 30, 2019, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement was intended to revolutionize trade across Africa by creating a unified market of 1.3 billion people and generating an additional $450 billion in revenue by 2035. However, five years later, implementation remains slow. Only 46 out of 55 countries have ratified the agreement, and the elimination of tariffs on 90% of goods is not expected until 2034.

Although some trade has taken place under this framework—such as exports from Ghanaian and South African companies in 2023—these transactions remain marginal. Structural, logistical, and…