[20200207]IF11423_非洲大陆自由贸易区（AfCFTA）.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov February 7, 2020African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)On May 30, 2019, the framework agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) entered into force. Trading under the agreement, however, is not expected to occur until mid-2020 at the earliest, as negotiations continue on critical commitments, including tariff liberalization schedules. If fully realized, the AfCFTA would cover 54 countries (the largest of any regional trade bloc), creating a market encompassing 1.2 billion people with combined economic output in 2018 of $2.5 trillion. Through the AfCFTA, the African Union (AU) seeks to create a pan-African free trade area liberalizing the flow of goods and services, thereby increasing intra-African trade and enhancing regional development prospects. All but one (Eritrea) of the AUs 55 members have signed the agreement, and 29 had ratified it as of January 2020. Many observers hailed the AfCFTA agreements entry into force as a milestone in African economic integration. Its impact, however, will depend on future negotiations and on its successful implementation in a region in which some past trade integration efforts ha