Africa’s untapped opportunity: How Africa’s free-trade area could catalyse the agricultural sector’s development (Biz Community)

Biz Community published an article on the African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA), the trading bloc is set to become operational in January 2021, and will significantly increase intra-African trade over time as it dismantles barriers to trade – including import tariffs and non-tariff barriers such as customs delays, restrictive licensing processes, and certification challenges. According to IFPRI in the Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor, Chapter – Intra-African trade integration, African policymakers should focus on harmonizing trade regulation across the continent, with an emphasis not only on import duty reductions but also on addressing the costly non-tariff barriers that suffocate trade, including logistical challenges. In fact, it found that non-tariff barriers can be more damaging than tariffs. Republished in Star Connect Business Journal Nigeria, Eagle Online (Nigeria), and Biz Watch Online (Nigeria).