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LeadAfrik
Intermediate · Self-paced2026 Edition

AfCFTA & Regional Integration

The economics and politics of stitching 54 markets together. The case for integration, trade creation vs diversion, the regional building blocks, the AfCFTA architecture, rules of origin, the services and digital agenda, and whether it will actually work.

8

Modules

~6h 5m

Reading time

Intermediate

Level

Self-paced

Format

§

Syllabus

  1. 01

    The case for African integration

    Small fragmented markets, the colonial trade map that still routes exports outward, and intra-African trade stuck near 15%.

    ~40 minModule 01
    →
  2. 02

    The theory of integration

    Viner's trade creation vs trade diversion, and the difference between shallow (tariff) and deep (regulatory) integration.

    ~45 minModule 02
    →
  3. 03

    The building blocks — RECs

    EAC, ECOWAS, SADC, and COMESA, and the overlapping-membership problem that complicates a single continental market.

    ~45 minModule 03
    →
  4. 04

    AfCFTA — the architecture

    The agreement, its phases, the tariff-liberalisation schedule, and the Secretariat charged with making it real.

    ~50 minModule 04
    →
  5. 05

    Rules of origin and the hard part

    Why rules of origin make or break a free-trade area, and the negotiation deadlock over what counts as 'made in Africa'.

    ~50 minModule 05
    →
  6. 06

    Beyond goods — services and digital

    The protocols on services, investment, competition, and digital trade — where the larger gains and harder politics sit.

    ~45 minModule 06
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  7. 07

    Non-tariff barriers and trade facilitation

    Borders, corridors, and the real cost of crossing — the single window and why facilitation may matter more than tariffs.

    ~45 minModule 07
    →
  8. 08

    Will it work?

    The World Bank gains estimates, the political economy of revenue loss and adjustment, and the implementation gap.

    ~45 minModule 08
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How to use this course

Start with module 01 if the material is new; skip ahead if you have prior exposure. Each module is self-contained but the arc is sequential — the projects in the final module assume the toolkit from modules 1-11. Every module ends with key takeaways and a curated further-reading list with primary sources.