Implications for Africa of Initiatives by the WTO, European Union, and U.S.

As efforts at economic integration gain ground at the regional and multilateral level, Africa's trading relations with the United States, the European Union and other partners are under the most comprehensive review since the colonial era. Those African countries in the vanguard will see the opportunity to gain lucrative concessions, spurring trade and investment. But since African countries tend to be poorly equipped to participate actively in the dozens of WTO interest areas, there is a real danger that some African countries will end up worse off than before. The following explores constraints and opportunities of economic integration for Africa.