The Agreement establishing AfCFTA signed in Kigali, Rwanda, on 21st March 2018 is a key milestone in Africa’s integration agenda. The AfCFTA is expected to be a key engine of economic growth, industrialization and sustainable development in Africa in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 for “The Africa We Want”. Almost all (seven out of eight) the IGAD Partner States signed the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA and Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have ratified the Agreement while Somalia has committed to ratify the Agreement in the coming months. Additionally, the Partner States are at different stages of developing national AfCFTA implementation strategies.
