Africa’s Regional Economic Integration: A Steady Progress

Africa has witnessed a steady process of regional economic integration in recent years. The African Union (AU) launched the Second 10-Year Action Plan Agenda 2063 during the 37th AU Summit in February 2024.

Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, president of Mauritania and chairman of the AU for 2024, emphasized the AU’s commitment to unleashing the development potential of the African continent, promoting regional economic integration, increasing infrastructure connectivity, and improving agricultural productivity.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

The AfCFTA was officially established in July 2019 and entered into force in January 2021. It aims to facilitate trade and investment and ensure the free movement of goods, services, and capital across the African continent by reducing tariffs and removing trade barriers.

The AfCFTA is working to create a large single market of over 1.3 billion people and with a combined gross domestic product of $2.3 trillion. According to the Economic Development Report in Africa 2023 released by the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the AfCFTA offers benefits by facilitating regional market access and strengthening production chains across the continent.

China’s Support for Africa’s Regional Economic Integration

As Africa’s largest trading partner, China actively supports Africa’s regional economic integration and the development of the AfCFTA. Recent years have seen an increase in the quantity and quality of trade between China and the African continent.

According to the China-Africa Trade Index, the value of China’s imports and exports to Africa increased from less than 100 billion yuan ($14 billion) in 2000 to 1.88 trillion yuan in 2022, a cumulative growth of over 20 times. In 2023, China-Africa trade volume reached a record $282.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.5 percent.

Deepening Cooperation between China and Africa

China and the AfCFTA Secretariat have established a joint expert group for economic cooperation, with the aim of enhancing the sharing of policies and experiences to facilitate trade and investment. Both sides have been deepening cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, trade and finance, industrial investment, talent training, and capacity building.

Over the past decade, China has provided significant development aid to Africa and has been involved in the construction of over 6,000 kilometers of railways, 6,000 kilometers of roads, and more than 80 large power facilities in Africa.

Supporting Africa’s Digital Transformation

The 2Africa submarine cable project, invested and developed by China Mobile International and other companies, encircles the African continent with a total length of over 45,000 kilometers. When completed, it will be the longest submarine cable in the world.

This cable project will provide much-needed internet capacity and reliability in Africa, promote digital transformation in sectors such as healthcare, education, and finance, and provide digital support for the regional economic integration of the African continent.

Initiatives to Support Africa’s Industrialization and Modernization

In August 2023, at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, China proposed to launch the Initiative on Supporting African Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development.

These initiatives aim to help Africa accelerate its integration and modernization by providing support in areas such as industrial development, agricultural modernization, and talent development.

Benefits of China’s Investment in Africa

According to James Mwangi, chief executive officer of Equity Group Holdings in Kenya, China is an important source of investment for Africa and the largest export market for African countries. This strong support has enabled African nations to participate in global trade.

Africa welcomes advanced financial payment tools from China, which can help the continent achieve financial integration and inject new momentum into global financial infrastructure connectivity.