The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is a committed trade and development instrument and undertaking of Agenda 2063, by Africa to approach trade between African countries and globally, with one voice. The AfCFTA allows member states to harmonise their pre-existing trade agreements with fellow African countries. It does not preclude countries from negotiating and entering into bilateral agreements with countries outside the AfCFTA.
However, as a party to the AfCFTA, countries must trade with their fellow African states on similar or better trade terms as those negotiated in their bilateral agreements. For example, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) is set to expire in 2025, presenting an opportunity for the US and the AfCFTA members to rework the Agoa framework in a manner that aligns with the implementation of the AfCFTA. A similar methodology can be applied to the EU’s Everything but Arms initiative. The AfCTA is the largest free trade area by number of countries since the establishment of the World Organisation and represents an estimated $3.2 trillion collective GDP trading area
