The African Free Trade Agreement: can It accelerate Africa’s economic growth?

Signed in 2018, officially launched in 2021, and now in full swing, the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, the AfCFTA, aims to create a single market in Africa by erasing trade and labour mobility barriers. By 2030, the African free trade zone is estimated to host 1.7 billion people and oversee consumer and business spending at a value of almost 7 trillion US dollars. While there is much to be gained from the agreement, there are some challenges ahead. Can Africa surmount them and harness its collective power to boost economic growth?

Our panel of experts include:

• Assem Abu Hatab, senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute.
• Jörgen Levin, senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute
• Stephen Karingi, Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). 

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