The African Continental Free Trade Area entered into force in 2019.
The agreement establishing the AfCFTA entered into force on 30 May 2019, after the required number of ratifications was reached. Trading under the agreement officially began on 1 January 2021, following delays connected partly to negotiations and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AfCFTA aims to reduce tariffs and other barriers among participating African countries, improve regional value chains and create a single African market for goods and services. It is administered through the African Union framework, with the Secretariat based in Accra, Ghana.
The entry-into-force date is often confused with the start of actual trading. 2019 refers to the treaty becoming legally operative; 2021 refers to the launch of preferential trade under the agreement. The long-term project is intended to deepen intra-African commerce and support industrialization.