Connecting countries and cities for regional value chain integration : operationalizing the AfCFTA

On 1 January 2021, the African Union launched the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This Regional Action Group for Africa report is part of a series investigating five priority pathways to drive economic recovery and build resilience in the context of the AfCFTA Agreement. It explores two priorities: first, unlocking manufacturing to mitigate global supply-chain risks; and second, leveraging integration and regional value chains. It also reviews intra-African trade and current African efforts to liberalize trade in the continent, examining how to unlock production capacity to meet local and global demands in strategic sectors, focusing on the automotive industry. The launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 1 January 2021 brings a new window of opportunity for Africa to ramp up its manufacturing sector. This report looks at two priority pathways to get there.