African economic integration

Africa’s continental free trade area aims to create a single market of goods and services on a continent of 1.3 billion people. Yet, achieving the goal of an integrated and prosperous Africa will be no easy task for policymakers. Our African economic integration team wants to bring the dynamics around regional integration into better focus and understand how policies can adapt to who or what is driving or blocking progress.

Our work

Topics we look at include:

• Regional and continental trade in Africa, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
• The political economy dynamics of Africa’s regional organisations
• Cross-border corridor initiatives, including transport
• Industrialisation and economic development