Senior Technical Advisor on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation Committees, Dr Fareed Arthur, has traced the origins of the AfCFTA to decades of efforts aimed at deepening Africa’s economic integration and reducing the continent’s dependence on external assistance.

Speaking on the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Single Market: How Can Ghanaian Businesses Win Under AfCFTA?” on Channel One TV on Thursday, June 11, Dr Arthur said the vision of a unified African market dates back to the early years following the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

According to him, discussions on economic cooperation gained momentum after the formation of the OAU, although the idea of a continent-wide trade arrangement was initially considered too ambitious. This led to the creation of Regional Economic Communities as a gradual pathway towards broader integration.

“The issue came up again. Africa suddenly felt that we needed to rethink the paradigm. We could not continue with the old dependence on aid and other forms of external support. We needed to find ways of generating resources internally to finance our own development,” he said.

Dr Arthur noted that the global financial crisis, particularly the disruptions in the United States housing and banking sectors, served as a catalyst for renewed efforts to strengthen Africa’s economic resilience.

He explained that the crisis reinforced the need for African countries to reduce their reliance on external assistance and place greater emphasis on intra-African trade as a driver of sustainable development.

The AfCFTA advisor recalled that a major breakthrough was achieved in 2011 when African Ministers of Trade met in Accra and renewed discussions on establishing a single continental market.

He also highlighted the role played by the late former President, John Evans Atta Mills, whose presentation to the African Union in 2012 helped advance proposals that would later shape the AfCFTA framework.

According to Dr Arthur, these efforts led to a negotiation process initially expected to last five years, an ambitious target given the scale and complexity of the agreement.

Although negotiations extended beyond the original timeline, they culminated in the presentation of the AfCFTA agreement at the 2018 Extraordinary African Union Summit in Kigali.

Dr Arthur emphasised the unprecedented political commitment shown by African leaders, noting that 40 countries signed the agreement on its first day.

“For the first time in the history of the African Union, 40 countries signed an agreement on the first day, demonstrating the level of political will behind it and the collective determination to pursue a transformative trade platform,” he said.

He described the AfCFTA as one of Africa’s most significant economic initiatives, designed to unlock the continent’s vast market potential and promote self-sustaining growth through increased intra-African trade.