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Law and Regional Integration in Africa Research Task: Free trade resources

This guide is intended to aid those that are currently busy with their Research Task for the Law and Regional Integration in Africa module.

Continental Free Trade Area

Trade Law CentreContinental Free Trade Area (CFTA) Legal Texts and Policy Documents

Trade Law Centre. The African Continental Free Trade Area: a Tralac Guide. 7th edition. Stellenbosch: Trade Law  Centre, August 2020.

Trade Law Centre. The African Continental Free Trade Area: a Tralac guide.  3rd edition. Stellenbosch: Trade Law Centre, 2018.

Erasmus, Gerhard. Trade remedies as part of the continental free trade area. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre, © 2015 (Tralac working paper no. S15WP15/2015)

Fundira, Taku. Towards a continental free trade area : analysis of the status of the regional trade regimes. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre, © 2016 (Tralac working paper no. S16WP08/2016)

Gathii, James Thuo. Scoping study : designing the continental free trade area (CFTA) : an African human rights perspective. Geneva : United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, May 2016.

International Trade Centre. A business guide to the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement. Geneva: ITC, 2018.

Ismail, Faizel. Working paper : advancing the continental free trade area (CFTA) and Agenda 2063 in the context of the changing architecture of global trade. Pretoria : Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies, December 2016.

Jensen, Hans Grinsted and Ron Sandrey. The Continental Free Trade Area : a GTAP assessment. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre, 2015.

Kalenga, Paul. Critical issues in the negotiations of the continental free trade area. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre, © 2016 (Tralac working paper no. S16WP05/2016)

United Nations. Economic Commission on Africa, United Nations. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. 2015. Transparency,  consultation and participation in the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) negotiations in Africa: recommendations from the Multi-Stakeholder Expert Workshop on a Potential Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) of the CFTA (2015-2017) 16-17 April, Addis Ababa.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. African continental free trade area : advancing Pan-African integration : some considerations. New York and Geneva : United Nations, 2016.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. African continental free trade area : policy and negotiating options for trade in goods. New York and Geneva : United Nations, 2016.

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Union and African Development Bank. Assessing Regional Integration in Africa VIII: Bringing the Continental Free Trade Area About. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia :  United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Union and African Development Bank, © 2017 .

NEWS

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) entered into force on 30 May 2019, with 27 ratifications. The operational phase of AfCFTA was launched in Niger during the 12th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union from 7-8 July 2019. (Source: Tralac News,  08 July 2019.)

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) enters into force on 30 May 2019. “On 29 April 2019, Sierra Leone and the Saharawi Republic deposited their instruments of Ratification of the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA with the depositary in Addis Ababa. This brought the number of ratification to 22 – the number required for the AfCFTA to enter into force, in terms of Article 23 of the AfCFTA. On 30 May the AfCFTA enters into force – 30 days after the deposit of the 22nd instrument of ratification, as specified in Article 23.” (Source: Tralac's April newsletter. See also Tralac's Status of AfCFTA Ratification)

"The Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU), held in Kigali, Rwanda, on 21 March 2018, launched the AfCFTA by adopting the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Protocol on Trade in Goods, the Protocol on Trade in Services and the Protocol on Rules and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes. These instruments were also signed by 44 AU Member States. A major part of the work on the first phase of the AfCFTA negotiations has now been completed." (Source: https://www.tralac.org/news/article/13138-african-continental-free-trade-area-towards-the-finalization-of-modalities-on-goods-toolkit.html)

"African leaders held an Extraordinary Summit on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from 17-21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, during which the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA was presented for signature, along with the Kigali Declaration and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right to Residence and Right to Establishment. In total, 44 out of the 55 AU member states signed the consolidated text of the AfCFTA Agreement, 47 signed the Kigali Declaration and 30 signed the Protocol on Free Movement." (Source: https://www.tralac.org/resources/by-region/cfta.html)

South Africa signed the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement on 7 July 2017. "South Africa signed the agreement in Kampala, Uganda, during the meeting of the Tripartite Sectoral Ministers’ Committee." (Source: http://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/sa-signs-tripartite-free-trade-area-agreement)

 

Tripartite-Free Trade Area

TralacSADC-EAC-COMESA Tripartite Free Trade Area Legal Texts and Policy Documents

Agreement establishing a Tripartite Free Trade Area among the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community (2015)

COMESA :   key issues for the integration agenda /    Lusaka, Zambia :   Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa,   c2011. Shelf no. G 6894 E.COME.11.COME

COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite   [reports, negotiations and summits]    [Lusaka :   COMESA ;   Arusha, Tanzania :   EAC ;   Gaborone :   SADC,   2010-2011]. Shelf no. GZCD 678 E.EAC.11.COME

COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Summit of Heads of State and Government (1st : 2008)   Final communique of the joint COMESA-EAC-SADC Heads of State and Government Tripartite Summit :   "towards a single market" : theme: deepening COMESA-EAC-SADC integration /    Lusaka :   COMESA ;   Arusha, Tanzania :   EAC ;   Gaborone :   SADC,   [2008]. Shelf no. G 678 E.EAC.08.FINA

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Secretariat, author, issuing body.    Tripartite Summit magazine    Lusaka, Zambia :   Corporate Communication Unit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa,   2015- . Volume 1, 2015. Shelf no. G 6894 K.TRIP

Erasmus, Gerhard. The Tripartite Free Trade Agreement : results of phase one of the negotiations. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre, © 2015. (Tralac working paper no. US15WP04/2015)

Hartzenbery, Trudi [and others]. Cape to Cairo : exploring the Tripartite FTA agenda. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre ; Nairobi : Swedish Embassy,  © 2013. Shelf no. BA 382.0968 CAPE 

Hartzenberg, Trudi [and others]. From Cape to Cairo : making the Tripartite Free Trade Area work. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa ; Hatfield, Pretoria : Danish International Development Assistance ; Nairobi : Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, © 2011. Shelf no. BA 337.68 CAPE 

Hartzenberg, Trudi [and others]. The Tripartite Free Trade Area  : towards a new African integration paradigm? Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa ;  Nairobi : Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, © 2012. Shelf no. BA 337.68 TRIP

Mangeni, Francis, author.    The case for the COMESA-EAC-SADC tripartite arrangement /    Lusaka, Zambia :   COMESA Secretariat,   [2012] Shelf no. G 6894 E.COME.12.CASE

Mwapachu, Juma Volter.    COMESA-EAC-SADC tripartite framework :   state of play : report by the Chair of the Tripartite Task Force, July, 2010 /    Arusha, Tanzania :   EAC,   2010. Shelf no. G 678 E.EAC.10.COME

Othieno, Lawrence.    Prospects and challenges in the formation of the COMESA-EAC and SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area /    Kampala, Uganda :   Economic Policy Research Centre,   2011. Shelf no. BAP 382.71 OTHI

Pearson, Mark and Charles Chaitezvi. Trade facilitation in the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite. Brummeria, Pretoria : TradeMark Southern Africa, 2012. (Regional Integration Research Network Discussion Paper RIRN/DP/12/02)

Sandrey, Ron and others. From Cape to Cairo : an assessment of the Tripartite Free Trade Area. Stellenbosch : Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa ; Pretoria : National Agricultural Marketing Council,  © 2011. Shelf no. BA 338.10968 CAPE 

Southern African Development Community. Tripartite Cooperation

 

 

Other

Lwanda, George C. Can EPAs strengthen regional integration in southern Africa: a qualitative analysis. Halfway House : Development Bank of Southern Africa, 2011. (Development Planning Division Working Paper Series No. 27)

Makonnen, Tewodros  & Halellujah Lulie. Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area. Johannesburg : South African Institute of International Affairs, August 2014.

Sandrey, Ron. Intra-REC trade and overlapping membership : review of COMESA, EAC and SADC. Stellenbosch : Tralac, © 2015. (Tralac working paper S15WP11/2015)

United Nations. Economic Commission on Africa. African Continental Free Trade Area: towards the finalization of modalities on goods: toolkit. Addis Ababa: Economic Commission on Africa, © 2018.