Support to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

With abundant resources and growing consumer market, Africa can become a prominent manufacturing destination for tech-intensive industries and a key link in global supply chains.

The organization will continue to support the continent’s countries to cope with ongoing multiple and interrelated crises, and build resilience to future shocks.

UNCTAD calls for reforms to existing rules to help the continent’s companies take advantage of African free trade agreements.

They will scale up partnerships to maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of African countries.

By Paul Akiwumi, Director for Africa and Least Developed Countries, UNCTAD

By Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD

But the world’s largest free trade area needs measures to boost productivity and expand opportunities.

UNCTAD says the African Continental Free Trade Area could boost intra-African trade by up to 33% and cut the continent’s trade deficit by 51%.

New study shows how to transform the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement into an enabler of sustainable trade in biodiversity as a key driver of an environmentally friendly recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt needs to update its policy approach to economic transformation to fully benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area.