10022598-Short-Term Expert Pools to support negotiations and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

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Background: Although many of the world"s fastest-growing economies are in Africa, trade among African countries remains limited. The continent mostly exports raw materials and agricultural products, while it imports machinery, equipment, and food mainly from outside Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is one of the African Union"s (AU) flagship projects for the implementation of its Agenda 2063, aims to change this. It is expected that, with the introduction of the free trade zone, intra- African trade will be 15% to 25% higher by 2040 (UNECA). The AfCFTA agreement has been signed by 54 of the 55 African Union Member States (MS) and became effective under international law in May 2019. The full implementation of the AfCFTA will lead to a continental single marke