Nigeria, May 7 -- Introduction

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents one of the most ambitious economic integration projects in history. Officially operational since January 1, 2021, the AfCFTA creates a market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately $3.4 trillion, making it the largest free trade area in the world by number of participating countries. As of today, 54 out of 55 AU member states have signed on, signalling a strong political will to dismantle economic borders across the continent.

While the AfCFTA aims to accelerate intra-African trade by creating a single, liberalized market that reduces tariffs, its true transformative power lies in addressing non-tariff barriers (NTBs). These le...