Regional integration in Africa: Can AfCFTA work miracles for African development.

 

The launched African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA ) which houses a GDP of USD 2.5 trillion and a population of 1.2 billion people has the been regarded as the answer to African intra-regional trade challenges. The AfCFTA comes at a time where African economies have shown little capacities to transform their economies through trade as there has been little progress on the diversification of exports and value addition to the exports of primary goods manly minerals and agricultural produce.

The AfCFTA comes as one of the flagship projects of African Union Agenda 2063. Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework for the socio- economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years. It builds on, and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development. Key to Agenda 2063 is epitomising sustainable development as a key result of African integration. There are other   key programmes and initiatives other than AfCFTA which have been identified as key to accelerating Africa’s economic growth and development as well as promoting our common identity by celebrating our history and our vibrant culture. It is the hope of the African leaders in coming up with AfCFTA that Africa will trade amongst itself and the people’s lives will be transformed through trade. Agenda 2063 is hinged on Pan Africanism and African Renaissance which should occupy the core of any objectives in the new celebrated AfCFTA. It not mere institution creation but it is all about the reasons for its creation. We have to continuously remind each other that the Arica we want vision is for the African people to be self-sufficient and self-reliance.  

This requires quick consideration into other flagship projects of African Union Agenda 2063 namely integrated high speed transport network, formulation of an Africa commodities strategy, the African passport and free movement of persons, silencing the guns by 2020, and annual African economic forum among others. These projects are an appreciation that without addressing the existing challenges affecting the intra-regional trade Africa, the AfCFTA will not do any miracles to transform the people’s lives. the integration of African economies requires what I term an ‘African regional integration’ which comes as a result of intensive research and appreciation of the state of economies across Africa. The African regional integration should be based on the need to unite decimated markets, reorient the concept of borders, and uplift the women involved in cross-border trading, small and medium enterprises SMEs and the so called informal economy.

Africans needs to be integrated and appreciate the common shared values and their diversity which forms the core of Pan Africanism Na African Renaissance. It has to be appreciated that the pure capitalist model has failed in the world. The intervention of governments in their economies is key and if Agenda  2063 is to become a reality, African leaders need to invest in researches which promote the inclusivity of African people in policy design and formulation. This requires intensive researches on what is affecting traders in the outskirts of Accra, Lagos, Johannesburg and Nairobi. These areas have rich untapped talent which has the capacity to transform Africa but they have remained alienated in their economies as preference has been given to multinational corporations (MNCs).

The stigma of ‘informal sector’ has to go if Africa is to achieve sustainable development and the aspirations of Agenda 2063. The definitions of informal sector have been from a neoliberal point of view which eventually disenfranchises African from the mainstream economy.  The expansion of formal economy from an African point of view will enlighten the policy makers and African leadership on the need to have policies which promotes and sustains the sectors were most Africans are domiciled. When they are incorporated into the mainstream economy, Africa can start to think about integration. Those women who are seen crossing borders with goods in their heads are the African economy and Africa has to ask why they have continued without any policy support. The answer is , informal cross-border trade (ICBT) is a major source of livelihood for many African countries  especially in the sub Saharan Africa.

The success of Africa regional integration is based on leaders’ acceptance that there is need to integrate the people before the goods can move across the borders. This involves the bringing in of African people into the mainstream economy and has them contribute to the design and formulation of policies. The African regional integration should be African in nature and seeking to uplift and sustain the lives of Africans.

 

Levious Chiukira

lchiukira@gmail.com

+263773065062