The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents the most ambitious attempt in Africa’s modern history to knit the continent into a coherent, competitive economic bloc. More than a trade agreement, it is a structural blueprint for transforming Africa from a fragmented patchwork of markets into the world’s largest single free trade area – unifying 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion. Its promise lies not only in lowering tariffs or increasing trade flows, but in reshaping Africa’s position within the global economic order.

Yet as transformative as AfCFTA is for Africa, its implications extend well beyond the continent. The bloc is emerging as a new frontier for interregional cooperation, especially between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and North African economies such as Egypt and Morocco. With the Gulf states accelerating diversification away from hydrocarbons and Africa stepping into a phase of industrial expansion, AfCFTA could become the critical link that binds Gulf capital, North African manufacturing capacities and sub-Saharan resources into a powerful and mutually reinforcing economic alliance.

For decades, Africa’s economic integration remained an aspiration. The continent’s post-colonial trajectory was marked by overlapping regional trade blocs, inconsistent policy commitments and limited political will. Both the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union (AU), recognized the need for continental integration, but early initiatives failed due to institutional weaknesses and competing national priorities.

This started to change in the 2010s, when the “Africa Rising” narrative took hold. Rapid urbanization, rising incomes, improved governance and expanding........

© Blitz