Malabo, Equatorial Guinea – At the launch of the 11th Edition of the Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA XI) report, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and institutional partners made a strong case for accelerating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and making a firm push toward a continental customs union and common market, putting the relationship between integration, trade, and Africa’s sustainable development front and center.
The focus of the event was “Delivering on the African Economic Community: Towards an African Continental Common Market and African Continental Customs Union.” The occasion served as an unsettling reminder that Africa’s integration is now a pressing need rather than an idealistic goal, and that it is a growth path the continent cannot afford to postpone.
Dr. Joy Kategekwa stressed that integration is the only practical path to significant industrialization and widespread economic empowerment on the continent while speaking on behalf of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB Group.
“All of us seated at this table are called to consider the fact that Africa’s integration is a necessary growth pathway. Is the cost of failure something we can afford?” She urged the leaders of the continent to take decisive action in order to create a single economic union.
From free trade to customs union: A legal and strategic imperative
Although the AfCFTA represents a major promotion, Dr. Kategekwa emphasized that the current legislative structure of the free trade area is narrow. “As a free trade area, the AfCFTA itself does not give us the legal answer to how we deal with third countries, those outside the agreement,” she stated.
In order to safeguard Africa’s internal market, she clarified, only a customs union can offer the framework for a unified external tariff and coordinated trade policy. She stated clearly that “establishing a customs union is essential to preserving regional integration in Africa.”
However, the journey doesn’t stop there. She pointed out that Africa has to create a common market in order to genuinely unite the continent into a single, functional market. She questioned, “What binds the African market together?” You then go on to worries about investment, intellectual property, and competitiveness. That is what the common market is for.
She issued a warning against the custom of signing contracts without a well-defined plan for implementation. “If we adopt the strategy of ‘Let’s negotiate, let’s get the agreement, then let’s figure out how to implement it,’ then none of this will work.”
AfDB’s Commitment: Integration with a Production Agenda
Dr. Joy Kategekwa reaffirmed the African Development Bank’s commitment to supporting “Made-in-Africa” industries in addition to funding integration. “For this reason, the African Development Bank Group, led by President Adesina, has been leading the way in funding Africa’s integration,” she stated.
In addition to roads and railroads, the Bank is funding trade finance, power pools, water projects, and ICT infrastructure, all of which are intended to link Africa’s economies and promote intra-African trade.
The AfDB will continue to accompany Africa on its path to complete economic integration, she said, adding that “in the end, this is about putting money in the hands of Africans by crowding them into the integration process.”
Dr. Adesina: Remove barriers to trade and movement
AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina called ARIA XI “timely” and essential to Africa’s future in his remarks read on his behalf.
“As we fully implement the African Continental Free Trade Area, this critical report demonstrates why we must continue to work together to unlock barriers impeding the free movement of people, capital, goods, and services,” Adesina stated.
He emphasized that the AfDB will continue to be a dedicated partner in creating the infrastructure, institutions, and regulations required to completely integrate Africa.
AUC: AfCFTA a milestone, but not the destination
Similar views were expressed by Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, who called the AfCFTA a “monumental milestone” in Africa’s quest for economic unification as outlined in the Abuja Treaty of 1991.
“We must now accelerate our efforts towards an African Continental Customs Union and a Common Market in order to truly unlock our continent’s potential for inclusive growth and sustainable development,” Youssouf stated.
In order to build a stronger, more resilient African economy that can compete with the world, he proposed the removal of current restrictions and the unification of national and regional policy.
ECA: ARIA XI Is a practical roadmap
The study was praised as more than a research paper by Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
“ARIA XI is a forward-thinking, intellectually sound, and useful policy tool for strengthening the continent’s integration and promoting its competitiveness in an increasingly complex global geopolitical landscape. It is not just another report on Africa’s integration,” Gatete stated.
He called on African institutions and leaders to fully embrace the AfCFTA’s implementation and to take decisive action to create a common market and customs union. “We have to work together to deliver the African Economic Community,” he said.
Integration as a strategy for survival and prosperity
The essence of the research and the debates surrounding it was summed up by Dr. Joy Kategekwa, who said that Africa’s future rests on its capacity to industrialize and trade domestically, protect itself from predatory international institutions, and create prosperity that is distributed among all of its citizens.
She declared, “We don’t just dare to dream when we talk about how we deliver the African Economic Community. We discuss the specifics of our methodology.”
The roadmap provided by ARIA XI, which was created in cooperation between the AfDB, AUC, and ECA, has the potential to drastically alter Africa’s economic environment for future generations if its suggestions are put into practice.
Acting Commissioner H.E. Moses Vilakati represented the African Union Commission (AUC) at the event, while Chief of Staff Aboubakri Diaw represented the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
One of the event’s main highlights was a panel discussion on “The Role of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Deepening Africa’s Integration: The Journey Towards the African Economic Community.”
Panelists included Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, Secretary-General of COMESA; Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission; and Ambassador Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo, President of the ECCAS Commission.
