Evolution of trade policy and regional integration in Africa

The recognition of the benefts of the international exchange of goods and services is often juxtaposed against various concerns about the impact thereof on local industries. From the dawn of African independence to the Extraordinary Summit on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) of 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, there have been conficting views on the approach to regional trade and integration. It has been a common cause that regionalism is essential, but the modalities and implementation thereof remain a challenge. Post-colonial Africa saw the advent of several cross-border arrangements that have continued to exist and serve the regional integration agenda thus far. The post-colonial commitment to regionalism was an integral part of the broader aspiration resulting in the establishment of the Organisa-tion of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, which later transformed into the African Union (AU) in 2002 (UN Economic Commission for Africa, African Union and African Development Bank 2010, p. 7). As one of the frst steps by an independent Africa to foster cooperation among states, it strengthened the movement towards the ideal of a Pan-African political and economic union.

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Published in: Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
See chapter on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003143840-60