Regional Trade Agreements and the World Trade Organization

Africa has committed to establishing a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) to boost intra-African trade and deepen economic integration. While initially, regional economic communities (RECs) emerged as a means for deepening economic integration, more recently rationalizing the RECs has become the preferred option for establishing the CFTA, as evidenced by the establishment of the Tripartite Free Trade Area. By affording preferences to select countries, these Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) appears to run contrary to multilateral trade principles. Yet the World Trade Organization (WTO) can allow for such preferences. As African countries negotiate the CFTA and deeper integration it is necessary to ensure that the approach taken and agreement concluded reflect the requirements of international trade law. Journal of Contemporary Issues in African Trade and Trade Finance, 3(1), 65-79