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This follows the submission of instruments of ratification by 14 out of the 29 partner states making up the Tripartite, thus meeting the threshold required for the TFTA to enter into force.
At least 14 countries will trade freely within East, Central, and Southern Africa from Thursday, July 25 following the ratification of a Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement that flattens the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) into a single commerce bloc.
This follows the submission of instruments of ratification by 14 out of the 29 partner states making up the Tripartite, thus meeting the threshold required for the TFTA to enter into force.
Malawi, Lesotho, and Angola are the latest member states to ratify the agreement making it 14 countries. It takes effect on July 25, 2024,” Christopher Onyango, Director of Trade and Customs at the Comesa Secretariat in Lusaka, Zambia, said.
The other countries that have ratified the agreement include Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Eswatini, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, and Zambia. Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda have ratified the tripartite, while for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, ratification is pending.
The Tripartite offers full liberalization of tariff lines and elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade. The Tripartite configuration also presents best practices in fostering transport and trade facilitation instruments and value chain development at regional levels which are key to boosting intra-African trade.
Among the key challenges hindering the operationalization of the TFTA is the absence of a dedicated secretariat and institutional structure to coordinate and implement its programs and activities.
At the moment, only the market integration pillar is being supported by the African Development Bank. The Comesa – EAC – Sadc TFTA, which was signed in 2015 comprises 29 countries representing 53 percent of the African Union Membership, more than 60 percent of continental GDP ($1.88 Trillion; 2019), and a combined population of 800 million.
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Under the market integration pillar, the Tripartite has a more ambitious tariff liberalization schedule compared to the African Continental Free Trade Area– the world’s largest free trade area bringing together the 55 countries of the African Union and eight regional economic communities to create a single market for the continent.
