THE IMPLEMENTATION DEFICIT OF THE AFCFTA: EXAMINING THE GAP BETWEEN CONTINENTAL AMBITION AND NATIONAL REALITY

The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) commenced in 2021, is a signature project of the African Union and brings together 1.3 billion people into one market; with intra-African trade increasing by 52% will pull another high percentage of poor Africans out of poverty. Now, African heads of state have reached a rare consensus. All but one of those 55 countries has signed it. Nonetheless, trade between African countries on the continent remains poorly integrated and collectively represents just 15-17% of continental goods trade. That gap between continental ambition and national implementation is exposed in this article, which digs up the economic reality. Drawing on extensive analysis of 34 interviews with policy makers, trade officials, manufacturers, exporters, customs officials, and scholars in Nigeria, some major problems have been identified. First, there are severe deficits in infrastructure, making the cost of trading between African countries more expensive than between the continent and the coast. Secondly, customs systems are fragmented, and member states vary in regulation. Thirdly, there's low institutional capacity and weak enforcement mechanisms. All are augmented by heavy reliance on external donors. Using neo-functionalist theory, the article points out that the African Union has successfully set agendas and developed frameworks. However, spillover effects are considerably limited by sensitivity about sovereignty, lack of a strong supranational authority, and domestic political calculation. Finally, the article returns to the country level and urges that finance be gathered, policies harmonized, institutional capacity be built up, and sustainable financing be secured to refine the AfCFTA symbol into real action.