In November 2024, the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity (IATP) in collaboration with the Nkafu Policy Institute released a papper titled “Free Trade in Precolonial Era: Implications for the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area in Cameroon.”
This study dives into the nature of trade in pre-colonial Cameroon and Africa by extension, exploring the pre-colonial economy, including the mechanisms and economic exchanges between different actors, and how such ancient practices can be imbibed in implementing the AfCFTA today.
According to this report, “Implementing AfCFTA in Cameroon, with its promise of a common market and the free movement of persons, goods, and services, could significantly benefit the country.”
AfCFTA, a flagship program of the African Union, is regarded as the world’s largest free trade area, bringing together the 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and eight (8) Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to create a single market for the continent. The aim is to enable the free flow of goods and services across the continent and boost intra-African trade in value-added production across all sectors, establish regional value chains in Africa, encourage investment and job creation, and foster industrialization in all sectors of the African economy.
You can read the full report below.
