Africa & Middle East
Bilateral deal-making involving governments of Africa and the Middle East.
The FTA initiative should be seen in the context of the Trump administration’s determination to pursue bilateral deals to enhance reciprocity and American gains.
Kenya’s proposed free trade deal with the US has put it in the crosshairs as critics say the planned bilateral agreement would be a breach of regional and continental trade protocols.
Kenya surrendered its customs space to the bloc in 2005 when it signed its customs union protocol. The rulebook compels member states to negotiate all trade pacts jointly.
President Donald Trump has announced the United States intends to initiate trade agreement negotiations with Kenya.
The US and Kenya are expected to announce negotiations on a free-trade agreement, America’s first such deal with a sub-Saharan country.
Mauritania will soon implement the free trade agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President El Ghazouani has said.
Resolving these issues is crucial for EAC’s approach to opportunities from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement as a bloc.
An Iranian official said an accord between Tehran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries will turn into a free trade agreement within the next two or three years.
The working group is exploring ways to deepen the trade and investment ties between the two countries and lay the groundwork for a stronger future trade relationship.
The GCC states are drawn to the African states’ promise, especially as the new continental trade deal will facilitate opportunities and unlock growth in parts of Africa that were previously difficult to access.
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African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) legal texts and policy documents
Tralac’s page on the African Continental Free Trade Area -
SEATINI Uganda
The Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) is a regional non-governmental organization founded in 1996 soon after the WTO Singapore Ministerial Conference — mainly focusing on WTO, but also bilateral and regional trade negotiations in Africa. -
SEATINI Zimbabwe
The Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) is an African initiative to strengthen Africa’s capacity to take a more effective part in the emerging global trading system and to better manage the process of globalization.
