Africa's historic free-trade agreement: 'short-term pain for long-term gain'

Abstract

The signatories of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) hope that the agreement will galvanise trade in manufactured goods and services, creating jobs and accelerating industrialisation on the continent. If successfully implemented, the AfCFTA will create the biggest trade bloc in the world, with additional free movement of investment and protection of intellectual property rights.