Thumbnail Image

Support for Boosting Intra-African Trade in Agricultural Commodities and Services to Advance the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) - TCP/RAF/3708

Copyright licence

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 11

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Category Factsheet

Synopsis (short abstract) African Heads of State and Government, through the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods (Malabo Declaration), have made a clear commitment on Boosting Intra African Trade ( in agricultural commodities and services This commitment includes harnessing market and trade opportunities locally, regionally and internationally by creating and enhancing policies, institutional conditions and support systems and tripling intra African trade in agricultural commodities and services by 2025 The 2017 Inaugural Biennial Review Report of the African Union Commission on the Implementation of the Malabo Declaration found that only three of the 29 Members reporting on the commitment to BIAT in agricultural commodities and services were on track to meet the commitment by 2025 Meeting this commitment on time requires building capacity to address policy, technical and investment constraints and minimize domestic food price volatility Despite the impressive gross domestic product ( growth rates experienced on the continent in recent years, Africa has remained a marginal player in both domestic and world trade The share of intra African merchandise exports in 2017 was around 19 6 percent of total exports (by value) The relatively low performance of intra African trade in agricultural commodities is of particular concern In the face of abundant unexploited suitable resources for agriculture, the continent depends on extra African sources for more than 80 percent of imports of food and agricultural products As a result, Africa faces a food and agricultural import bill growing at a yearly average of 3 6 percent, reaching USD 72 7 billion in 2017 To take advantage of fast growing intra African market opportunities, African agriculture must undergo a structural transformation that entails shifting from highly diversified and subsistence oriented production systems towards more market oriented ones This requires both a bold shift in policy and substantial investment to overcome the severe under capitalization, as well as low productivity and competitiveness of the sector In order to tackle the constraints on national and regional food marketing and trade, there is a need to face up to two broad categories of challenges The first set of challenges concerns prioritizing and filling the deficit in hard and soft market and trade infrastructure The second set of challenges requires tackling the policy and institutional deficiencies to strengthen intra regional and inter regional market integration and trade facilitation.

Language English

Also available in:

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Newsletter
    Newsletter
    Fall Armyworm Control in Action Newsletter, June 2021 - Issue #4 2021
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Fall Armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is a pest originating in the Americas: it can fly over 100 km per day; it feeds on over 80 hosts; and a female moth can deposit 1 000 eggs during its life. Challenges in mitigating FAW damage include, among others, lack of the following: coordination at global, regional and national levels; effective monitoring and control techniques; and effective phytosanitary measures and capacity at national level. The Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control (GA, 2020-2022) was launched by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu on 4 December 2019 with a mandate for a strong and coordinated approach to strengthen prevention and sustainable pest control capacities. The GA focuses on Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Near East, where an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy will be implemented in countries with significant pest presence, and a prevention strategy will be conducted in areas with limited or no distribution of the pest. The GA has continued to support countries in managing FAW throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting webinars and virtual trainings on FAW monitoring and management and by implementing activities where possible.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Presentation
    Presentation
    Fallen Leaves Compost Agroforestry System in Musashino Upland, in the peri-urban area of Tokyo
    Webinar: Sustainable production and agrifood systems based on GIAHS approaches
    2024
    Also available in:
    No results found.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Brochure
    Seizing the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement for women traders: A South-South cooperation event
    Concept note
    2022
    Also available in:
    The opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) should be capitalized upon, for the benefit of all. In order to identify solutions to address the challenges posed by the roll out of the AfCFTA, a dialogue between the key players in the Africa trade environment and women’s traders is necessary. In this context, FAO has partnered with the African Women Agribusiness Network – Afrika (AWAN AFRIKA) and the International Trade Center (ITC) to promote the exchange of lessons learned among countries on gender-sensitive trade policies and economic measures that have worked for the benefit of both women and men.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.