Free trade as a driver of Africa’s economic integration?

In cooperation with ÖFSE and VIDC

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is Africa’s most ambitious economic integration project. The political ambitions are high: the AfCFTA aims to boost intra-African trade, facilitate regional value chains, promote industrialisation, and strengthen the continent’s position in the global economy. Considerable progress has been made since the Agreement came into force five years ago, particularly in establishing its political, legal and institutional framework. However, translating the AfCFTA’s political vision into tangible economic outcomes remains a complex undertaking. Successful implementation goes beyond tariff reductions and requires improvements in trade facilitation, customs procedures, transport and logistics, access to finance, regulatory cooperation, common standards and productive capacities. This event will discuss the current state of the AfCFTA, the challenges of its implementation, and what is needed to boost investment, industrialisation and employment in Africa, whilst ensuring that the benefits of integration are shared across countries, regions, businesses and different sections of the population.

Keynote Speech:

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and former South African representative to the World Trade Organisation: “The AfCFTA as a driver of trade, production and employment: strategic considerations”

Discussants:

Ambassador Valerie Rugene, Deputy Permanent Representative/Deputy Head of Mission of Kenya to Austria and to the UN organisations based in Vienna (tbc)

Prof. Dr Robert Kappel, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Leipzig, is affiliated with the International SEPT (Small Enterprise Promotion and Training) Competence Centre and the Institute for African Studies. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), which he led as President from 2004 to 2011.

Dr Leena Koni Hoffmann, an anti-corruption researcher and Associate Fellow with the Africa Programme at Chatham House. She is also the co-founder of Luxembourg for Transparency (L4T), a member of the International Council of Transparency International, and a former investigator at Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency.