The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement entered into force in 2019. It aimed to increase intra-African trade by eliminating import duties. Its planners hoped to double intra-African trade if non-tariff barriers were also reduced. It was a major milestone in the continent’s regional integration. Inadequate transport infrastructure and services could hamper the realization of AfCFTA’s benefits. The urgent need to improve transport connectivity in Africa in the context of AfCFTA has created new research demands. A report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) explores the effects of AfCFTA on trade flows in the African region and asks, how the AfCFTA signatories could reap the agreement’s full benefits through the integrated planning of trade and transport, and what opportunities this presents for investors.
Speaker
Dr Robert Lisinge, Chief, Energy, Infrastructure and Services Section and Officer in Charge, Private Sector Development and Finance Division, ECA

Chair: Professor Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba, Assistant Professor, Institute of African Studies, Carleton University