The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement is a creation of the African Union with the aim of harmonising existing regional trade agreements of eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) recognised by the African Union (AU). The Agreement establishes a free trade area across the African continent to promote trade and manufacturing with the rippling effect of contributing to the reduction in the number of people living in extreme poverty by 30 million people and people living in moderate poverty by 68 million by the year 2035.
For the Agreement to be effective and meet its lofty targets, all member countries signed to the Agreement must have in place structures and mechanisms to ensure implementation of the Agreement is easy and is able to be exploited to the maximum by citizenry. Sierra Leone is a signatory to the Agreement and GGA-WARO sought to explore how ready the nation was for the implementation of the Agreement.
This report seeks to assess the trends and general trade reforms in Sierra Leone towards the implementation of the AfCFTA, assess the level/status of implementation of the AfCFTA in Sierra Leone, assess the readiness/preparedness of businesses in Sierra Leone to take advantage of the AfCFTA, and make recommendations based on findings to inform implementation processes and structures in Sierra Leone.
