Horn of africa Bulletin

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the largest free trade areas, constituting around 1.2 billion people in 55 national economies with an approximate 2.5 trillion USD combined GDP. The IGAD region has almost a quarter of Africa’s population (around 24%). However, the region’s economic contribution to the continental economy is meagre (around 11%). The low level of economic productivity in the IGAD region has implications for the implementation of the AfCFTA, the achievement of its objectives and the eventual contribution of the continental initiative in affecting people’s lives positively.