Whose integration is it anyway? AfCFTA needs to overcome its risks.
With all eyes on the implementation of the historic African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the question which needs to be answered is, whose integration is Africa pursuing? Researches have shown that Africa intra trade still remain low at approximately 15% of its total trade. This tells us that we are not yet prepared to trade among ourselves. The continental free trade is a result of the vision by African leaders to ensure the future of Africa is transferred into the hands and ownership of the Africans. It can be traced back to the Lagos Platform of Action of 1980 which envisioned the development of Africa through self-sufficiency. By 1980 the African leaders by then had noticed that the over reliance of Africa on exportation of raw materials was leaving it at the mercy of the developed countries that were benefiting from the relationship and was not sustainable. The need to industrialise Africa was agreed upon and mechanism were put into place to ensure that Africa redef...