The African Union Development Agency with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has launched a “Guide for Country Impact Assessments” for Accelerated Industrial Development for Africa (AIDA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Guide offers assessment tools and indicators for national, regional and continental authorities to evaluate the impact and progress of the AIDA and AfCFTA in their respective countries and the region as a whole.

Madam Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency, at the launch, said the assessment guide would help countries and development partners to work from the same template in advancing trade, industry and economic integration on the continent.

Also, it supports countries to identify key areas for improvement, foster deeper economic integration, and align their industrial policies with continental objectives.

She said this would enable member countries to develop policies and strategies in an evidence-based assessment and needs, knowing where to prioritise specific policies and interventions in the AIDA/AfCFTA agenda.

Madam Bekele-Thomas said the guide served as a navigational aid for member states in steering high-level actions to counter risks, bolster readiness, and advocate policy reforms to unlock the potential of African trade and industrial growth.

“For instance, findings from the guide could indicate that a particular industrial sector is poised for export growth under the AfCFTA, but that certain infrastructure improvements are required to competitively serve increased regional demand,” she added.

Mr Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, AfCFTA Secretariat, said the guide would be a tool to enable them to assess their progress in championing continental economic integration and development.

He stressed that the guide would help identify key markets and areas of Africa’s economy where countries could take advantage of addressing the continent’s industrial development challenges.

“It is clear that the AfCFTA is one of the tools of the African Union deployed to fight poverty, to push back the lack of progress amongst end-to-end countries and to ensure that we have a development blueprint as a continent,” he added.

Toshiyuki Nakamura, Special Advisor to the President of JICA, said as Africa embarked on its trade and industrial transformation, it needed to measure and evaluate its impact to ensure that it was on the right path. 

He urged policymakers to harness the power of data and analysis to drive positive change and create a more sustainable future for all Africans. 

“Let us use this Guide as a tool to navigate our actions and inform our decisions, ensuring that AIDA and AfCFTA are implemented in a way that leads to inclusive and sustainable growth across the continent,” he said.