In a major milestone for regional integration in Africa, the Tri-Partite Free Trade Agreement bringing together the Member States of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), and the Partner States of the East African Community will enter into force on 25 July 2024, following the deposit of the 14th instrument of ratification. The Agreement set the threshold for entry into force at 14. Angola became the 14th state to ratify the TFTA on 25 June 2024.
The TFTA is an important building block towards a fully-fledged continental free trade area, already in force as the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. The TFTA provides a framework for cooperation among the 3 Regional Economic Communities and harmonisation of preferential trading rules across them. The 26 member and partner states of the TFTA collectively represent 53% of the AU’s member states with a population of 800 million and 60% of the continent’s GDP.
