Sub-Saharan Africa
The role of intra-regional trade as a catalyst for agricultural development is recognized in the 2003 Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and the 2014 Malabo Declaration, and remains a core aspect of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement in 2019 provides a concrete and timely mechanism to realize its continental agricultural policy commitments, expediting efforts to promote intra-regional trade in agri-food products. FAO supports countries in achieving their commitments to boost intra-African trade through in-depth analysis, capacity development, technical assistance and focused regional and national trade policy dialogue events. As part of these efforts, FAO has helped establish a regional network of agricultural trade policy practitioners in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The objectives of the regional network are to:
| generate evidence on the implications of regional trade agreements, and developments in negotiations for food security and agricultural development; | |
| develop the capacities of national stakeholders on the rules and agreements governing trade and their implications for food security, and preparing stakeholders for negotiations and implementation; and | |
| facilitate dialogue between representatives of ministries of agriculture and ministries of trade, nationally and regionally, with the aim of improving understanding and promoting coherence and consistency in their policy processes. |
