The African Continental Free Trade Area is signed and ratified. The hard work — rules of origin, payments and infrastructure — is just beginning.
The AfCFTA is the largest free-trade area in the world by membership. Five years on, the centre of gravity has shifted from negotiation to the unglamorous machinery of implementation.
Harmonised rules of origin, a functioning continental payments system and the closing of infrastructure gaps will determine whether the agreement delivers on its promise of intra-African trade.
