The African Continental Free Trade Area and Demand for Transport Infrastructure and Services

The African Continental Free Trade Area and Demand for Transport Infrastructure and Services PDF Author: United Nations Publications
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789211251463
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement entered into force in 2019, and its implementation commenced in 2021. A major milestone in the continent's regional integration, it aims to increase intra-African trade by eliminating import duties. Its planners hoped to double intra-African trade if non-tariff barriers were also reduced. Inadequate transport infrastructure and services could hamper the realization of AfCFTA's benefits. The urgent need to improve transport connectivity in Africa in the context of AfCFTA has created new research demands. This report explores the effects of AfCFTA on trade flows in Africa and asks how the AfCFTA signatories could reap the agreement's full benefits through the integrated planning of trade and transport. Using trade flow and freight mode choice models, the report identifies critical transport links across the continent and provides estimates for the infrastructure required for different modes of transport--road, rail, maritime and air--because of AfCFTA. It also unpacks the transport equipment required for the different modes: trucks for roads, rolling stock for railways, aircraft for air transport and ships for maritime transport. The report shows that trade and transport are mutually reinforcing and that current infrastructure and services, in all modes of transport in Africa, require upgrading to cope with the increased freight under the AfCFTA. This underscores the importance of prioritising the implementation of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Trans-African Highway (TAH) network and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

The African Continental Free Trade Area and Demand for Transport Infrastructure and Services

The African Continental Free Trade Area and Demand for Transport Infrastructure and Services PDF Author: United Nations Publications
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789211251463
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement entered into force in 2019, and its implementation commenced in 2021. A major milestone in the continent's regional integration, it aims to increase intra-African trade by eliminating import duties. Its planners hoped to double intra-African trade if non-tariff barriers were also reduced. Inadequate transport infrastructure and services could hamper the realization of AfCFTA's benefits. The urgent need to improve transport connectivity in Africa in the context of AfCFTA has created new research demands. This report explores the effects of AfCFTA on trade flows in Africa and asks how the AfCFTA signatories could reap the agreement's full benefits through the integrated planning of trade and transport. Using trade flow and freight mode choice models, the report identifies critical transport links across the continent and provides estimates for the infrastructure required for different modes of transport--road, rail, maritime and air--because of AfCFTA. It also unpacks the transport equipment required for the different modes: trucks for roads, rolling stock for railways, aircraft for air transport and ships for maritime transport. The report shows that trade and transport are mutually reinforcing and that current infrastructure and services, in all modes of transport in Africa, require upgrading to cope with the increased freight under the AfCFTA. This underscores the importance of prioritising the implementation of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Trans-African Highway (TAH) network and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

Making the African Continental Free Trade Agreement a Success

Making the African Continental Free Trade Agreement a Success PDF Author: Albert G. Zeufack
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040006027
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 307

Get Book

Book Description
In 2019, African heads of state and governments launched in fanfare the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), a historic agreement for economic transformation across the continent. But now comes the hard bit: how to make the agreement a success? In this book, senior experts from across the world come together to provide a comprehensive analysis of the conditions needed for AfCFTA to successfully spur economic development in Africa. It puts forward three foundations for success: demography dividend, digital economy, and economic diversification. In addition to trade policy, the book recommends that African policymakers should strengthen fiscal and monetary policy coordination, adopt and implement the appropriate regulatory environment, and build suitable connectivity infrastructure. The stakes are high. If implemented correctly, the book argues that AfCFTA could speed up trade within Africa, which could double every five years. Success would mean growth, investment, changing trade patterns, jobs, economic transformation, poverty reduction, and a continental market for services. Driven by concrete, evidence-based strategies for long-term growth, this book is an essential read for policy makers, development practitioners, economics researchers, and everyone with an interest in the future of Africa.

The African Continental Free Trade Area: Potential Economic Impact and Challenges

The African Continental Free Trade Area: Potential Economic Impact and Challenges PDF Author: Mr.Lisandro Abrego
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1513542370
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 41

Get Book

Book Description
Political momentum towards Africa-wide free trade has been intensifying. In March 2018, over 40 countries signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Once fully implemented, the AfCFTA is expected to cover all 55 African countries, with a combined GDP of about US$2.2 trillion. This SDN takes stock of recent trade developments in Sub-Saharan Africa and assesses the potential benefits and costs of the AfCFTA, as well as challenges to its successful implementation. In addition to increased trade flows both in existing and new products, the AfCFTA has the potential to generate substantial economic benefits for African countries. These benefits include higher income arising from increased efficiency and productivity from improved resource allocation, higher cross-border investment flows, and technology transfers. Besides lowering import tariffs, to ensure these benefits, African countries will need reduce other trade barriers by making more efficient their customs procedures, reducing their wide infrastructure gaps, and improving their business climates. At the same time, policy measures should be taken to mitigate the differential impact of trade liberalization on certain groups as resources are reallocated in the economy and activities migrate to locations with comparatively lower costs.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement: Welfare Gains Estimates from a General Equilibrium Model

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement: Welfare Gains Estimates from a General Equilibrium Model PDF Author: Mr.Lisandro Abrego
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498318789
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Get Book

Book Description
In March 2018, representatives of member countries of the African Union signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. This agreement provides a framework for trade liberalization in goods and services and is expected to eventually cover all African countries. Using a multi-country, multi-sector general equilibrium model based on Costinot and Rodriguez-Clare (2014), we estimate the welfare effects of the AfCFTA for 45 countries in Africa. Three different model specifications—comprising both perfect competition and monopolistic competition—are used. Simulations include full elimination of import tariffs and partial but substantial reduction in non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Results reveal significant potential welfare gains from trade liberalization in Africa. As intra-regional import tariffs in the continent are already low, the bulk of these gains come from lowering NTBs. Overall gains for the continent are broadly similar under the three model specifications used, with considerable variation of potential welfare gains across countries in all model structures.

Assessing Regional Integration in Africa V

Assessing Regional Integration in Africa V PDF Author:
Publisher: UN
ISBN:
Category : Africa
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Get Book

Book Description
The fifth of the series (ARIA/V) has come at a time of renewed enthusiasm for shortening the period of the vision of the Abuja Treaty. Its overall objective is to provide an analytical research publication that defines frameworks for African Governments, the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities, towards accelerating the establishment of the African Common Market through: the speedy removal of all tariff and non-tariff barriers, obstacles to free movement of people, investments and factors of production in general across Africa, and through fast-tracking the creation of an African continental Free Trade Area

Review of Maritime Transport 2023

Review of Maritime Transport 2023 PDF Author: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Publisher: Stylus Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 9213585500
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Get Book

Book Description
The Review of Maritime Transport is an UNCTAD flagship publication, published annually since 1968. Around 80 per cent of the volume of international trade in goods is carried by sea, and the percentage is even higher for most developing countries. The Review of Maritime Transport provides an analysis of structural and cyclical changes affecting seaborne trade, ports and shipping, as well as an extensive collection of statistical information. The report calls for a “just and equitable transition” to a decarbonized shipping industry. The sector, whose greenhouse gas emissions have risen 20% over the last decade, operates an ageing fleet that runs almost exclusively on fossil fuels. As global leaders prepare for the next UN climate conference (COP28), UNCTAD advocates for system-wide collaboration, swift regulatory intervention and stronger investments in green technologies and fleets. Full decarbonization by 2050 will require massive investments and could lead to higher maritime logistics costs, raising concerns for vulnerable shipping-reliant nations like small island developing states. The report emphasizes the need to balance environmental goals with economic needs but underscores that the cost of inaction far outweighs the required investments. The report recommends policy actions to overcome supply chain hurdles African countries face, including poor logistics, low levels of technology, fragmented markets, limited capital sources, and weak institutions and regulations. Beyond cleaner fuels, the industry needs to move faster towards digital solutions like AI and blockchain to improve efficiency as well as sustainability. In its analysis of global maritime trends, the report highlights shipping’s resilience despite major challenges stemming from global crises, such as the war in Ukraine. Maritime trade is expected to grow 2.4% in 2023 and more than 3% between 2024 and 2028.

Africa's Infrastructure

Africa's Infrastructure PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821380833
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 382

Get Book

Book Description
Sustainable infrastructure development is vital for Africa s prosperity. And now is the time to begin the transformation. This volume is the culmination of an unprecedented effort to document, analyze, and interpret the full extent of the challenge in developing Sub-Saharan Africa s infrastructure sectors. As a result, it represents the most comprehensive reference currently available on infrastructure in the region. The book covers the five main economic infrastructure sectors information and communication technology, irrigation, power, transport, and water and sanitation. 'Africa s Infrastructure: A Time for Transformation' reflects the collaboration of a wide array of African regional institutions and development partners under the auspices of the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa. It presents the findings of the Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD), a project launched following a commitment in 2005 by the international community (after the G8 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland) to scale up financial support for infrastructure development in Africa. The lack of reliable information in this area made it difficult to evaluate the success of past interventions, prioritize current allocations, and provide benchmarks for measuring future progress, hence the need for the AICD. Africa s infrastructure sectors lag well behind those of the rest of the world, and the gap is widening. Some of the main policy-relevant findings highlighted in the book include the following: infrastructure in the region is exceptionally expensive, with tariffs being many times higher than those found elsewhere. Inadequate and expensive infrastructure is retarding growth by 2 percentage points each year. Solving the problem will cost over US$90 billion per year, which is more than twice what is being spent in Africa today. However, money alone is not the answer. Prudent policies, wise management, and sound maintenance can improve efficiency, thereby stretching the infrastructure dollar. There is the potential to recover an additional US$17 billion a year from within the existing infrastructure resource envelope simply by improving efficiency. For example, improved revenue collection and utility management could generate US$3.3 billion per year. Regional power trade could reduce annual costs by US$2 billion. And deregulating the trucking industry could reduce freight costs by one-half. So, raising more funds without also tackling inefficiencies would be like pouring water into a leaking bucket. Finally, the power sector and fragile states represent particular challenges. Even if every efficiency in every infrastructure sector could be captured, a substantial funding gap of $31 billion a year would remain. Nevertheless, the African people and economies cannot wait any longer. Now is the time to begin the transformation to sustainable development.

Economic Development in Africa Report 2019

Economic Development in Africa Report 2019 PDF Author: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Publisher: United Nations
ISBN: 9210039742
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Get Book

Book Description
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a historic opportunity for the continent to boost intra-African trade and accelerate structural transformation. However, this relies on a critical policy instrument: the effective implementation of preferential trade liberalization among the AfCFTA members. Whether in practice African firms will utilize tariff preferences under the AfCFTA depends on a critical factor: rules of origin (RoO) and the net benefits of complying with them. This report argues for the adoption of flexible RoO and a strengthening of institutional capacities to ensure an impartial, transparent, predictable, consistent and neutral implementation of agreed RoO.

Transport Prices and Costs in Africa

Transport Prices and Costs in Africa PDF Author: Supee Teravaninthorn
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0821376551
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Get Book

Book Description
Transport prices for most African landlocked countries range from 15 to 20 percent of import costs. This is approximately two to three times more than in most developed countries. It is well known that weak infrastructure can account for low trade performance. Thus, it becomes necessary to understand what types of regional transport services operate in landlocked African nations and it is critical to identify the regulation disparities and provision anomalies that hurt infrastructure efficiency, even when the physical infrastructure, such as a road transport corridor, exists. Transport Prices and Costs in Africa analyzes the various reasons for poor transport performance seen widely throughout Africa and provides a compelling case for a number of national and regional reforms that are vital to the effort to address the underlying causes of high transport prices and costs and service unpredictability seen in Africa. The book will greatly help supervisory authorities throughout the region develop and implement a comprehensive transport policy that will facilitate long-term growth.

Africa's Development Dynamics 2023 Investing in Sustainable Development

Africa's Development Dynamics 2023 Investing in Sustainable Development PDF Author: African Union Commission
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9264417591
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Get Book

Book Description
Africa’s Development Dynamics uses lessons from Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa to develop policy recommendations and share good practices across the continent. Drawing on the most recent statistics, the analysis of development dynamics aims to assist African leaders in reaching the targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 at all levels: continental, regional, national and local.