African Economic Community - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The African Economic Community (AEC) is an organization of African Union

African Union

The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...

states establishing grounds for mutual economic development among the majority of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

n states. The stated goals of the organization include the creation of free trade area

Free trade area

A free trade area is a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement , which eliminates tariffs, import quotas, and preferences on most goods and services traded between them. If people are also free to move between the countries, in addition to FTA, it would also be...

s, customs union

Customs union

A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...

s, a single market

Single market

A single market is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with common policies on product regulation, and freedom of movement of the factors of production and of enterprise and services. The goal is that the movement of capital, labour, goods, and services between the members...

, a central bank

Central bank

A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is a public institution that usually issues the currency, regulates the money supply, and controls the interest rates in a country. Central banks often also oversee the commercial banking system of their respective countries...

, and a common currency (see African Monetary Union

African Monetary Union

The African Monetary Union is the proposed creation of an economic and monetary union for the countries of the African Union, administered by the African Central Bank...

) thus establishing an economic and monetary union

Economic and monetary union

An economic and monetary union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of an economic union with a monetary union. It is to be distinguished from a mere monetary union , which does not involve a common market. This is the fifth stage of economic integration...

Pillars

Currently there are multiple regional blocs in Africa, also known as Regional Economic Communities (RECs), many of which have overlapping memberships. The RECs consist primarily of trade bloc

Trade bloc

A trade bloc is a type of intergovernmental agreement, often part of a regional intergovernmental organization, where regional barriers to trade, are reduced or eliminated among the participating states.-Description:...

s and, in some cases, some political and military cooperation. Most of these RECs form the "pillars" of AEC, many of which also have an overlap in some of their member states. Due to this high proportion of overlap it is likely that some states with several memberships will eventually drop out of one or more RECs. Several of these pillars also contain subgroups with tighter customs and/or monetary unions of their own:

These pillars and their corresponding subgroups are as follows:

Pillars	Subgroups
Community of Sahel-Saharan States Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD or the Community of Sahel-Saharan States aims to create a free trade area... (CEN-SAD)
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981... (COMESA)
East African Community East African Community The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally... (EAC)
Economic Community of Central African States Economic Community of Central African States The Economic Community of Central African States is an Economic Community of the African Union for promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa... (ECCAS/CEEAC)	Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)
Economic Community of West African States Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.... (ECOWAS)	West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ)
Intergovernmental Authority on Development Intergovernmental Authority on Development The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is an eight-country regional development organization in East Africa. Its headquarters are located in Djibouti City.... (IGAD)
Southern African Development Community Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states... (SADC)	Southern African Customs Union Southern African Customs Union The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland.-History:SACU is the oldest still existing customs union in the world... (SACU)

Pillar membership

EWLINE

CEN-SAD Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD or the Community of Sahel-Saharan States aims to create a free trade area...
Founding states (1998): Joined later: 1999: 1999: 2000: 2000: 2000: 2001: 2001: 2001: 2001: 2001: 2002: 2002: 2004: 2004: 2004: 2005: 2005: 2007: 2007:

EWLINE

COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981...
Founding states (1994): Joined later: 1999: 2001: 2006: 2011:
Former members: 1994-1997: 1994-1997: 1994-2000: 1994-2004: 1994-2007:

EWLINE

ECOWAS
Founding states (1975): ^UEMOA-94 ^UEMOA-94 ^UEMOA-94 ^WAMZ-00 ^WAMZ-00 ^WAMZ-00 ^UEMOA-97 ^WAMZ-10 ^UEMOA-94 ^UEMOA-94 ^WAMZ-00 ^UEMOA-94 ^WAMZ-00 ^UEMOA-94 Joined later: 1976:
Former members: 1975-2002:
UEMOA-94: UEMOA state from 1994 UEMOA-97: UEMOA state from 1997 WAMZ-00: WAMZ state from 2000 WAMZ-10: WAMZ state from 2010

EWLINE

EAC East African Community The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally...
Founding states (2001): Joined later: 2007: 2007:

ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States The Economic Community of Central African States is an Economic Community of the African Union for promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa...
Founding states (1985): ^CEMAC-99 ^CEMAC-99 ^CEMAC-99 ^CEMAC-99 ^CEMAC-99 ^CEMAC-99 Joined later: 1999:
Former members: 1985-2007:
CEMAC-99: CEMAC state from 1999

EWLINE

SADC Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
Founding states (1980): ^SACU-70 ^SACU-70 ^SACU-70 Joined later: 1990: ^SACU-90 1990: ^SACU-70 1995: 1997: 1997: ^{withdrawn 2004-2007} 2005:
SACU-70: SACU Southern African Customs Union The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland.-History:SACU is the oldest still existing customs union in the world... state from 1970 SACU-90: SACU Southern African Customs Union The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland.-History:SACU is the oldest still existing customs union in the world... state from 1990

EWLINE

IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is an eight-country regional development organization in East Africa. Its headquarters are located in Djibouti City....
Founding states (1986): Joined later: 1993:

UMA Arab Maghreb Union The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania... ¹
Founding states (1989):

¹ The Arab Maghreb Union

Arab Maghreb Union

The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania...

does not participate in the AEC so far, because of opposition by Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

Other blocs

Other African regional blocs, not participating in the AEC (their members can be part of other regional blocs which do participate), are the following.

Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) (also includes most Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

ern states)
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries
The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries is a sub-regional organization with multiple vocation created by the signing of the Agreement of Gisenyi in Rwanda on September 20, 1976, aiming at insuring the safety of member states, at favoring the creation and the development of activities of...

(CEPGL)
Indian Ocean Commission
Indian Ocean Commission
The Indian Ocean Commission , known as the Commission de l'Océan Indien in French, is an intergovernmental organization that joins Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, France , and the Seychelles together to encourage cooperation. It was started in January 1984 under the General Victoria Agreement...

(COI)
Liptako-Gourma Authority
Liptako-Gourma Authority
The Liptako–Gourma Authority is a regional organization seeking to develop the contiguous areas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.Created in December 1970, the Authority has as its goal the promotion of the areas mineral, energy, hydraulic, and agricultural resources within a regional framework...

(LGA)
Mano River Union
Mano River Union
The Mano River Union is an international association established in 1973 between Liberia and Sierra Leone. In 1980, Guinea joined the union. The goal of the Union was to foster economic cooperation among the countries...

(MRU)

Their membership is as follows:

GAFTA ¹	CEPGL Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries is a sub-regional organization with multiple vocation created by the signing of the Agreement of Gisenyi in Rwanda on September 20, 1976, aiming at insuring the safety of member states, at favoring the creation and the development of activities of...	COI Indian Ocean Commission The Indian Ocean Commission , known as the Commission de l'Océan Indien in French, is an intergovernmental organization that joins Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, France , and the Seychelles together to encourage cooperation. It was started in January 1984 under the General Victoria Agreement...	LGA Liptako-Gourma Authority The Liptako–Gourma Authority is a regional organization seeking to develop the contiguous areas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.Created in December 1970, the Authority has as its goal the promotion of the areas mineral, energy, hydraulic, and agricultural resources within a regional framework...	MRU Mano River Union The Mano River Union is an international association established in 1973 between Liberia and Sierra Leone. In 1980, Guinea joined the union. The goal of the Union was to foster economic cooperation among the countries...
2005 membership: Joined later: 2009:	1976 membership:	1984 membership:	1970 membership:	1973 membership: Joined later: 1980:

¹ Only African GAFTA members are listed.

GAFTA is the only bloc not currently stalled.

Goals

The AEC founded through the Abuja Treaty, signed in 1991 and entered into force in 1994
is envisioned to be created in six stages:

(to be completed in 1999) Creation of regional blocs in regions where such do not yet exist
(to be completed in 2007) Strengthening of intra-REC integration and inter-REC harmonisation
(to be completed in 2017) Establishing of a free trade area
Free trade area
A free trade area is a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement , which eliminates tariffs, import quotas, and preferences on most goods and services traded between them. If people are also free to move between the countries, in addition to FTA, it would also be...

and customs union
Customs union
A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...

in each regional bloc
(to be completed in 2019) Establishing of a continent-wide customs union (and thus also a free trade area)
(to be completed in 2023) Establishing of a continent-wide African Common Market (ACM)
(to be completed in 2028) Establishing of a continent-wide economic and monetary union
Economic and monetary union
An economic and monetary union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of an economic union with a monetary union. It is to be distinguished from a mere monetary union , which does not involve a common market. This is the fifth stage of economic integration...

(and thus also a currency union
Currency union
A currency union is where two or more states share the same currency, though without there necessarily having any further integration such as an Economic and Monetary Union, which has in addition a customs union and a single market.There are three types of currency unions:#Informal - unilateral...

) and Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
- End of all transition periods: 2034 at the latest

Stages progress

as of September 2007

Stage 1: Completed, only Arab Maghreb Union
Arab Maghreb Union
The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania...

members and Sahrawi Republic
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...

not participating. Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

is participating, but no practical implementation as of yet.
Stage 2: Steady progress, nothing factual to check.

Stage 3:

	Regional blocs - pillars of the African Economic Community (AEC)
Activity	CEN-SAD Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD or the Community of Sahel-Saharan States aims to create a free trade area...	COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981...	EAC East African Community The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally...	ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States The Economic Community of Central African States is an Economic Community of the African Union for promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa...		ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....			IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is an eight-country regional development organization in East Africa. Its headquarters are located in Djibouti City....	SADC Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...		UMA Arab Maghreb Union The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania...
Activity				CEMAC	Common	UEMOA	WAMZ	Common		SACU Southern African Customs Union The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland.-History:SACU is the oldest still existing customs union in the world...	Common
Free Trade Area Free trade area A free trade area is a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement , which eliminates tariffs, import quotas, and preferences on most goods and services traded between them. If people are also free to move between the countries, in addition to FTA, it would also be...	stalled	progressing ¹	fully in force	fully in force	proposed for 2007 ?	fully in force		proposed	stalled	fully in force	progressing ²	stalled
Customs Union Customs union A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...	stalled	proposed for 2008	fully in force	fully in force	proposed for 2011 ?	fully in force		proposed for 2007	stalled	fully in force	proposed for 2010	stalled

¹ Members not yet participating: DR Congo (in talks to join), Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

, Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, Seychelles

Seychelles

Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....

(in talks to join), Swaziland

Swaziland

Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...

(on derogation until SACU gives permission for Swaziland to join the FTA), Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

(to join very soon)http://allafrica.com/stories/200610160583.html

² Members not yet participating: Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

, DR Congo, Seychelles

Seychelles

http://www.sadc.int/fta

Stage 4: no progress yet
Stage 5: no progress yet
Stage 6: no progress yet

Overall progress

		Activities
Regional bloc		Free Trade Area Free trade area A free trade area is a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free trade agreement , which eliminates tariffs, import quotas, and preferences on most goods and services traded between them. If people are also free to move between the countries, in addition to FTA, it would also be...	Economic and monetary union Economic and monetary union An economic and monetary union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of an economic union with a monetary union. It is to be distinguished from a mere monetary union , which does not involve a common market. This is the fifth stage of economic integration...			Free Travel Travel Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...		Political Politics Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the... pact	Defence pact
Regional bloc			Customs Union Customs union A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...	Single Market Single market A single market is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with common policies on product regulation, and freedom of movement of the factors of production and of enterprise and services. The goal is that the movement of capital, labour, goods, and services between the members...	Currency Union Currency union A currency union is where two or more states share the same currency, though without there necessarily having any further integration such as an Economic and Monetary Union, which has in addition a customs union and a single market.There are three types of currency unions:#Informal - unilateral...	Visa-free Visa (document) A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...	Border-less Border control Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...		Defence pact
AEC		proposed for 2019	proposed for 2019	proposed for 2023	proposed for 2028			proposed for 2028	?
CEN-SAD Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD or the Community of Sahel-Saharan States aims to create a free trade area...		proposed for 2010
COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981...		in force ¹	proposed for 2008	?	proposed for 2018
EAC East African Community The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally...		in force	in force	proposed for 2015	proposed for 2012 East African shilling The shilling was the currency issued for use in British controlled areas in East Africa from 1921 until 1969. It was produced by the East African Currency Board...	proposed	?	proposed for 2015
ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States The Economic Community of Central African States is an Economic Community of the African Union for promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa...	CEMAC	in force	in force	?	in force
	Common Economic Community of Central African States The Economic Community of Central African States is an Economic Community of the African Union for promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa...	proposed for 2007 ?	proposed for 2011 ?	proposed	proposed	proposed	?		in force
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....	UEMOA	in force	in force	proposed	in force
	WAMZ			?	proposed for 2012
	Common Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....	proposed ²	proposed for 2007	proposed	proposed	in force ¹	proposed	proposed	in force
IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is an eight-country regional development organization in East Africa. Its headquarters are located in Djibouti City....
SADC Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...	SACU Southern African Customs Union The Southern African Customs Union is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland.-History:SACU is the oldest still existing customs union in the world...	in force	in force		de-facto in force Common Monetary Area The Common Monetary Area links South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland into a monetary union. It is allied to the Southern African Customs Union . Namibia automatically became a member upon independence, but withdrew with the introduction of the Namibian dollar in 1993... ¹	?
	Common Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states... ^{http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/News061120061.htm}	proposed for 2008 ³	proposed for 2010	proposed for 2015	proposed for 2016
UMA Arab Maghreb Union The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania...

¹ not all members participating yet

² telecommunications, transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

and energy

Energy

In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...

- proposed

³ sensitive goods to be covered from 2012

Africa Free Trade Zone

The Africa Free Trade Zone (AFTZ) is a free trade zone

Free trade zone

A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...

announced at the EAC-SADC-COMESA Summit on Wednesday October 22, 2008 by the heads of Southern African Development Community

Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...

(SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981...

(COMESA) and the East African Community

East African Community

The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally...

(EAC). The African Free Trade Zone is also referred to as the African Free Trade Area in some official documents and press releases.

Signing

The leaders of the three AFTZ trading blocks, COMESA, EAC, and SADC, announced the historic agreement, an agreement aimed to create a single free trade zone to be named the African Free Trade Zone, consisting of 26 countries with a GDP of an estimated $624bn (£382.9bn). It is hoped that the African Free Trade Zone agreement would ease access to markets within the AFTZ zone and end problems arising from the fact that several of the member countries in the AFTZ belong to multiple regional groups.

The African Free Trade Zone announced at the EAC-SADC-COMESA Summit (also known the AFTZ Summit and Tripartite Summit) effectively is the realization of a dream more than a hundred years in the making, a trade zone spanning the length of African continent from Cape to Cairo

Cape to Cairo Road

The Cape to Cairo Road or 'Pan-African Highway', sometimes called the Great North Road in sub-Saharan Africa, was an imperial dream envisioned by the British Empire that would see a road stretch the length of Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo, similar to the Pan-American Highway...

, from North African Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

all the way to the southern-most tip of Africa in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

(Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

). The Cape to Cairo dream was envisioned by Cecil Rhodes and other British imperialists in the 1890s and was expressed in different contexts and versions including, but not limited to, the following ideals: Cape to Cairo Road, Cape to Cairo Railway, Cape to Cairo Telegraph, and Cape to Cairo Trade Union.

While other powers, notably Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

and Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

had colonies

Colony

In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....

or spheres of influence in the Cape to Cairo trade zone contemplated, the primary benefactor of the Cape to Cairo union would have been the Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

and British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. The biggest difference in the idea of the original Cape to Cairo zone and its current incarnation is that the African Free Trade Zone is the creation of African Countries for the mutual benefit and development of the AFTZ member countries, their peoples and the whole of continent of Africa

Africa

rather than a trade zone for the benefit of Great Britain. Ultimately, it is hoped the AFTZ would serve as a key building block to African Unity and the realization of a united Africa under the auspices of the African Union

African Union

.

Another important difference between the original and current ideal is that the AFTZ encompasses an area greater than the one even Cecil Rhodes could have imagine. The original Cape to Cairo idea in Cecil Rhodes' time and now under the AFTZ is a free trade zone spanning the whole continent from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

in Egypt. Cecil Rhodes' Cape to Cairo would have involved at most a dozen countries. The current rendition of the Cape to Cairo zone actualized by the AFTZ encompasses most of Africa, almost half of the countries (26 out of 54), more than half of the production, trade, population, land mass and resources. If it actualizes its potential and becomes a truly integrated economic union, the AFTZ could actually rival any other economic union with its vast natural resources, huge markets, young population, and great technical know-how (mostly courtesy of SADC in general and the Republic of South Africa in particular).

In addition to eliminating duplicative membership and the problem of member states also participating in other regional economic cooperation schemes and regional political and security cooperation schemes that may compete with or undermine each other, the African Free Trade Zone further aims to strengthen the AFTZ block's bargaining power when negotiating international deals.

Analysts believe that the African Free Trade Zone agreement will help intra-regional trade and boost growth.

The AFTZ is considered a major step in the implementation of the AEC, an organization of African Union states establishing grounds for mutual economic development among the majority of African states. The stated goals of the AEC organization include the creation of free trade areas, customs unions, a single market, a central bank, and a common currency thus establishing an economic and monetary union for the African Union.

The trade blocs

The three trade blocs that agreed to and make up the AFTZ, the COMESA, the EAC and the SADC, are already well-established in their own right and cover varying swathes of land, economic systems, political systems and a varied number of peoples (which includes Arabs in the North, multi-racial peoples in the East and South, including significant numbers of Africans of European descent, Asian Africans, including Indians, Chinese and other Asian groups as well as Colored Africans—mixed race Africans numbering millions in South Africa). Many of the membership of the three AFTZ member trade blocks overlap with several countries being a member of more than one of the AFTZ member trade blocks as well as a member of other alliances within and without the three trade blocks.

COMESA

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

(COMESA) traces its genesis to the mid 1960s. The idea of regional economic co-operation received considerable impetus from the buoyant and optimistic mood that characterised the post-independence period in most of Africa. The mood then was one of pan-African solidarity and collective self-reliance born of a shared destiny. It was under these circumstances that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its member states following a recommendation of the United Nations General Assembly.It is one of five regional commissions.The ECA...

(ECA) convened a ministerial meeting of the then newly independent states of Eastern and Southern Africa in 1965 to consider proposals for the establishment of a mechanism for the promotion of sub-regional economic integration. The meeting, which was held in Lusaka, Zambia, recommended the creation of an Economic Community of Eastern and Central African states.

An Interim Council of Ministers, assisted by an Interim Economic Committee of officials, was subsequently set up to negotiate the treaty and initiate programmes on economic co-operation, pending the completion of negotiations on the treaty.

In 1978, at a meeting of Ministers of Trade, Finance and Planning in Lusaka, the creation of a sub-regional economic community was recommended, beginning with a sub-regional preferential trade area which would be gradually upgraded over a ten-year period to a common market until the community had been established. To this end, the meeting adopted the Lusaka Declaration of Intent and Commitment to the Establishment of a Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA) and created an Inter-governmental Negotiating Team on the Treaty for the establishment of the PTA. The meeting also agreed on an indicative time-table for the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Team.

After the preparatory work had been completed a meeting of Heads of State and Government was convened in Lusaka on 21 December 1981 at which the Treaty establishing the PTA was signed. The Treaty came into force on 30 September 1982 after it had been ratified by more than seven signatory states as provided for in Article 50 of the Treaty.

The PTA was established to take advantage of a larger market size, to share the region's common heritage and destiny and to allow greater social and economic co-operation, with the ultimate objective being to create an economic community. The PTA Treaty envisaged its transformation into a Common Market and, in conformity with this, the Treaty establishing COMESA was signed on 5 November 1993 in Kampala

Kampala

Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...

, Uganda

Uganda

and was ratified a year later in Lilongwe

Lilongwe

Lilongwe, estimated population 902,388 as of 2009, is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It lies in the country's central region, on the Lilongwe River, near the border of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, and on the main north-south highway of Malawi, the M1.-History:The city started life as a...

, Malawi

Malawi

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...

on 8 December 1994.

It is important to underline the fact that the establishment of PTA, and its transformation into COMESA, was in conformity with the objectives of the Lagos Plan of Action

Lagos Plan of Action

The Lagos Plan of Action was an Organisation of African Unity-backed plan to increase Africa's self-suffiency...

(LPA) and the Final Act of Lagos (FAL) of the Organization of African Unity. Both the LPA and the FAL envisaged an evolutionary process in the economic integration of the continent in which regional economic communities would constitute building blocks upon which the creation of an African Economic Community would ultimately be erected.

The Member States of COMESA are as follows:

Burundi

Burundi

Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...

Comoros

The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...

Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti

Djibouti

Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...

Egypt

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

Libya

Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

Malawi

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

Rwanda

Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

Seychelles

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

Swaziland

Uganda

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

COMESA’s Vision is to “be a fully integrated, internationally competitive regional economic community with high standards of living for all its people ready to merge into an African Economic Community.”

East African Community

The East African Community

East African Community

(EAC) is the regional intergovernmental organization of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania with its Headquarters in Arusha

Arusha

Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...

, Tanzania. The Treaty for Establishment of the East African Community was signed on 30 November 1999 and entered into force on 7 July 2000 following its ratification by the original three Partner States – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Rwanda and Burundi acceded to the EAC Treaty on 18 June 2007 and became full Members of the Community with effect from 1 July 2007.

The EAC was originally set up in 1967. However, disagreements between the original founding members, Uganda

Uganda

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

and Tanzania, led to its collapse. The 30 November 1999 treaty was signed for its re-establishment and the new EAC came into being in 2000, reincarnated as a more mature group. The EAC is one of the more naturally homogenous of the African trade blocks given the prevalence of Swahili as a common language in its member countries as well as their long history of regional cooperation, even going back to colonial times.

The EAC aims at widening and deepening co-operation among the Partner States in, among others, political, economic and social fields for their mutual benefit. To this extent the EAC countries established a Customs Union in 2005 and are working towards the establishment of a Common Market by 2010, subsequently a Monetary Union by 2012 and ultimately a Political Federation of the East African States.

With the enlargement of the Community in 2007, the EAC really became energized. The realization of a large regional economic bloc encompassing Burundi

Burundi

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, Rwanda

Rwanda

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

and Uganda

Uganda

with a combined population of 120 million people, land area of 1.85 million sq kilometres and a combined gross domestic product of $41 billion, "bears great strategic and geopolitical significance and prospects of a renewed and reinvigorated East African Community." See EAC website.

The regional integration process is at a high pitch at the moment. The encouraging progress of the East African Customs Union, the enlargement of the Community with admission of Rwanda and Burundi, the ongoing negotiations of the East African Common Market as well as the consultations on fast tracking the process towards East African Federation all underscore the serious determination of the East African leadership and citizens to construct a powerful and sustainable East African economic and political bloc.

The vision of the EAC is similar to that of the COMESA to “be a fully integrated, internationally competitive regional economic community with high standards of living for all its people ready to merge into the African Economic Community.”

Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community

Southern African Development Community

(SADC) is the largest, arguably the most integrated and possibly the most successful of all of the African trade blocks (in terms of regional cooperation and the mutal benefit of the members. While South Africa may be the driving force behind a lot of SADC's economic integration, all member countries seem to have greatly benefited. Out of many truly came an organization greater than the sum of its parts. Several SADC countries have the highest GDP in Africa.

The Southern African Development Community has been in existence since 1980, when it was formed as a loose alliance of nine majority-ruled States in Southern Africa known as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference

Southern African Development Coordination Conference

The Southern African Development Coordination Conference , which was the forerunner of the Southern African Development Community , was formed in Lusaka, Zambia, on 1 April 1980, following the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration by the nine founding member states The Southern African Development...

(SADCC), with the main aim of coordinating development projects in order to lessen economic dependence on the then apartheid South Africa. The founding Member States are: Angola

Angola

, Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

, Lesotho

Lesotho

Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...

, Malawi

Malawi

, Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

, Swaziland

Swaziland

, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia

Zambia

and Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

.

SADCC was formed in Lusaka

Lusaka

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...

, Zambia on April 1, 1980, following the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration

Lusaka Declaration

The Lusaka Declaration on the Commonwealth on Racism and Racial Prejudice was a declaration of the Commonwealth of Nations on the issues of racism and egalitarianism within and between Commonwealth member states...

- Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation.

The transformation of the organization from a Coordinating Conference into a Development Community (SADC) took place on August 17, 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia when the Declaration and Treaty was signed at the Summit of Heads of State and Government thereby giving the organization a legal character.

The SADC Member States are as follows:

Angola

Angola

,
Botswana

Botswana

,
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Lesotho

Lesotho

,
Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

,
Malawi

Malawi

,
Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

,
Mozambique

Mozambique

,
Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

,
South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

,
Swaziland

Swaziland

,
United Republic of Tanzania,
Zambia

Zambia

, and
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

.

The SADC covers a population of some 248 million people and a zone whose combined GDP is $379bn in 2006.

SADC headquarters are located in Gaborone, Botswana.

Historic significance of the AFTZ

The EAC-SADC-COMESA Summit is considered historic because for the first time, since the birth of the African Union

African Union

, several key building blocks of the AEC have met on how to integrate territories and moving towards deepening and widening integration within the overall Abuja Treaty for the establishment of the AEC. Further, for the first time a truly transcontinental union came into being, ranging from the North to the South of the continent. The AFTZ (EAC, COMESA and SADC) currently have a combined population of 527 million and combined GDP of US$625 billion. In size and capacity, the AFTZ rivals most trade blocks. The only question is whether the AFTZ will fully integrate or simply be another one of those "feel good" African organizations with lofty goals but little results.

The SADC is the largest of the AFTZ member trade blocks and covers a population of some 248 million people and a zone whose cumulative GDP is $379bn in 2006.

COMESA, established in 1994 as a replacement for the Preferential Trade Area, includes 398 million people and the area has a combined GDP of US$286.7bn in 2006. Among its members are Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

, Zambia

Zambia

, Uganda

Uganda

and Sudan

Sudan

.

The EAC, the smallest of the member trade blocks in terms of GDP, had a GDP of US$46.6bn in 2006.

Members countries of the AFTZ

The AFTZ membership includes the following countries:

Angola

Angola

,
Botswana

Botswana

,
Burundi

Burundi

,
Comoros

Comoros

,
Djibouti

Djibouti

,
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Egypt

Egypt

,
Eritrea

Eritrea

,
Ethiopia

Ethiopia

,
Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

,
Lesotho

Lesotho

,
Libya

Libya

,
Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

,
Malawi

Malawi

,
Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

,
Mozambique

Mozambique

,
Namibia

Namibia

,
Rwanda

Rwanda

,
Seychelles

Seychelles

,
Swaziland

Swaziland

,
South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

,
Sudan

Sudan

,
Tanzania

Tanzania

,
Uganda

Uganda

,
Zambia

Zambia

, and
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

.

The only natural member of the AFTZ not included was Somalia, due to the civil war that has left most of that country without a functioning government.

AFTZ Summit Presidents

The AFTZ Summit, also referred to as the Tripartite Summit was opened and attended by six African heads of state representing the member trade groups. Attending the opening session on Wednesday were presidents Yoweri Museveni

Yoweri Museveni

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...

of Uganda

Uganda

, Paul Kagame

Paul Kagame

Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...

of Rwanda

Rwanda

, Robert Mugabe

Robert Mugabe

Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...

of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

, Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Jakaya Kikwete

Jakaya Kikwete

Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete is the 4th and current President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Kikwete was born in Msoga, Bagamoyo District, Tanganyika in present day Tanzania...

of Tanzania

Tanzania

and Kenya's Mwai Kibaki

Mwai Kibaki

Mwai Kibaki is the current and third President of the republic of Kenya.Kibaki was previously Vice President of Kenya for ten years from 1978–1988 and also held cabinet ministerial positions, including a widely acclaimed stint as Minister for Finance , Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for...

Attendance of the AFTZ Tripartite Summit

The AFTZ Tripartite Summit was attended by the following Heads of State and Government:

His Excellency, Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda

His Excellency, Mr. Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya

His Excellency, Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe, President of the Republic of South Africa

His Excellency, Mr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania

His Excellency Mr Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

His Excellency Mr Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe

Right Honourable Pakalitha Mosisili, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho

His Excellency, Gabriel Ntisezerana, Second Vice President of the Republic of Burundi

Right Honourable Dr Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Swaziland.

The following Plenipotentiaries represented the Heads of State and Government of the following countries:

Honourable Olivier Kamitatu Etshou, Minister of Planning, Democratic Republic of Congo;

Honourable Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama Minister of Trade, and Industry, Republic of Djibouti;

Honourable Dr Osman Mohamed, Minister of Economic Development, Arab Republic of Egypt

Honourable Dr. Ali Abd Alazziz Alsawi, Secretary General of Economy, Trade and Investment, Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Honourable Mrs. Joyce Banda, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Malawi

Honourable Arvind Boolell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Republic of Mauritius;

Honourable Antonion Fernando, Minister of Trade and Industry, Republic of Mozambique

Honourable Bradford Machila, Minister of Lands and Special Representative of His Honour the Vice President and Acting President of the Republic of Zambia

Honourable Honourable Joaquim Duarte da Costa David, Minister of Industry Republic of Angola

Honourable Neo D. Moroka, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Botswana

Honourable Patrick Pillay, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles

His Excellency Hassan Ibrahim Gadkarim, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Republic of Uganda, Republic of Rwanda and Republic of Burundi

His Excellency Wilfried I. Emvula, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to the African Union and the Economic Commission of Africa, Republic of Namibia

His Excellency Salih Omar Abdu, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to Republic of Kenya, Republic of Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania

His Excellency Dr. Denis Andriamandroso, Ambassador of the Republic of Madagascar to the Republic of South Africa

His Excellency Ambassador Clifford Sibusiso Mamba, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Kingdom of Swaziland

The following organisations were represented at the Tripartite Summit by their officials :

H.E. Erastus J.O. Mwencha, Vice Chairperson, African Union Commission;

Mrs. Lalla Ben Barka; Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECA;

Mr. Mtchera J. Chirwa, African Development Bank;

Dr. Kasaija Apuuli, IGAD; and Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, Executive Secretary, International Conference on the Great Lakes

Also in attendance were Chief Executive Officers of the

COMESAMr. Erasturs Mwencha, Executive Secretary of COMESA

EAC Amb. Juma Mwapachu

SADC Dr. Tomaz Augusto Salomao, Executive Secretary, SADC.

SA President on AFTZ

President Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

speaking in Kampala

Kampala

, Uganda

Uganda

, at a meeting of Africa

Africa

's three regional economic communities, argues that the AFTZ is an important step in the integration of African economies and the eventually union of the continent. With the great uncertainty in the global economy following the food and energy price increases and, more recently, the upheavals in the financial markets, Motlanthe suggested that the advent of the AFTZ could not have been any more timely.

While African and other developing countries had marginal influence over the decisions that had brought the international financial system to the brink of collapse, unjustifiably, the poor and vulnerable of these countries would bear the brunt of the economic downturn.

"It is imperative that effective remedial measures are developed to mitigate the negative impact of the crises, and developing countries must now be included in the governance of international financial institutions," Motlanthe said.

At the same time, it was necessary to work towards a more equitable global trade regime that put the concerns of developing countries, including African countries, at its centre.

He also urged that the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the Eastern African Community (EAC), and Southern African Development Community (SADC), increase co-operation towards greater integration.

"The process we embark upon today marks a historic step towards fulfilling our obligations under the African Union and the Abuja Treaty framework of continental integration, which recognises that Regional Economic Communities are the building-blocks for the African Economic Community."

The time had come for Comesa, EAC and SADC to bring together their respective regional integration programmes to further enlarge their markets, unlock productive potential, increase the levels of intra-Africa trade, and enhance developmental prospects.

"As a next step in expanding regional markets in Africa, the process we launch today will place us in a stronger position to respond effectively to intensifying global economic competition and will begin to overcome the challenges posed by multiple memberships of regional organisations.

"Let us therefore take the necessary decisions to work systematically and with determination to establish a single free trade area that will weld together our three regions into one,"

Pillars

Pillar membership

Other blocs

Goals

Stages progress

Overall progress

Africa Free Trade Zone

Signing

The trade blocs

COMESA

East African Community

Southern African Development Community

Historic significance of the AFTZ

Members countries of the AFTZ

AFTZ Summit Presidents

Attendance of the AFTZ Tripartite Summit

SA President on AFTZ

See also