An Assessment of Agenda 2063’s First Ten-Year Implementation Plan and its Implication on the African Continental Free Trade Area

Abstract

Trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) began on 1 January 2021. The AfCFTA intends to bring African countries closer in terms of economic integration and has numerous potential gains for state parties and the continent at large. However, the policies on continental integration are not new to Africa. To improve continental economic integration, the Organisation of African Unity and its successor, the African Union, adopted the Abuja Treaty, the Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade, and the Tripartite Free Trade Area. These policies have not been implemented yet, which creates uncertainty regarding the implementation of AfCFTA. To achieve its objectives, the AfCFTA requires member states to implement a complementary set of measures as part of Agenda 2063’s First Ten-Year Implementation Plan ranging from 2014 to 2023, which seeks to accelerate structural transformation in Africa. The implementation will ensure that some non-tariff barriers are eliminated to facilitate intra-African trade. However, the low aggregated implementation score of 51 per cent against the 2021 targets might have negative implications for the AfCFTA. The member states and regional economic communities are far from meeting the 2023 targets. There is low progress for Aspiration 1 of Agenda 2063 with an overall score of 37 per cent against the 2021 targets. Therefore, the article analyses the implication of the implementation or lack thereof of the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan on AfCFTA.