The African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union Commission (AUC), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have issued call for action toward building a unified African economic space through the establishment of a continental customs union and common market.
This renewed commitment was announced at the launch of the 11th edition of the Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA XI) report, under the theme “Delivering on the African Economic Community: Towards an African Continental Customs Union and African Continental Common Market.”
The event reinforced the urgency of accelerating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and deepening integration beyond existing frameworks.
Speaking on behalf of AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Dr. Joy Kategekwa said that Africa’s integration is no longer a lofty ambition, but a development necessity. She called on African leaders to act decisively and avoid the high cost of inaction.
“Africa’s integration is a development pathway of necessity, can we afford the price of failure?”, Dr. Kategekwa quizzed.
While acknowledging the progress made through AfCFTA, she stressed that a free trade area alone cannot resolve key structural trade challenges. Only a customs union, she explained, can provide the legal mechanism for a common external tariff and coordinated trade policies to shield Africa’s internal markets from external shocks.
“Creating a customs union is existential to safeguarding regional integration in Africa,” she said.
Dr. Kategekwa also emphasized the need for a fully functional common market, which would facilitate seamless movement of goods, services, capital, and people. Issues such as intellectual property, investment, and competition policy must be addressed to bind the continent together as a single economic unit.
She cautioned against signing agreements without implementation plans. “None of this will work if we go with the approach of: ‘Let’s negotiate, let’s get the agreement, then let’s figure out how to implement it.’”
She reaffirmed AfDB’s commitment to supporting integration not just through trade policy, but by financing infrastructure projects that link African economies. These include roads, ICT systems, energy grids, and trade finance facilities.
“This is about putting money in the hands of Africans by crowding them into the integration process,” she added.
However, AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina described ARIA XI as a timely and strategic resource.
He called for a renewed push to dismantle barriers impeding the free movement of people, capital, goods, and services, and reaffirmed AfDB’s role as a partner in building the institutions and systems needed to unite Africa’s economies from the ground up.
African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf also called AfCFTA a “monumental milestone” but not the end goal.
He urged African governments to expedite efforts toward an African Continental Customs Union and Common Market as originally envisioned in the 1991 Abuja Treaty.
“To truly unlock our continent’s potential for inclusive growth and sustainable development, we must accelerate efforts to dismantle existing trade barriers and harmonize regional and national policies,” Youssouf said.
Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the ECA, described the ARIA XI report as a practical and forward-looking roadmap.
He urged policymakers to adopt the report’s recommendations, noting that deepening integration is key to Africa’s competitiveness in an increasingly complex global economy.
“ARIA XI is not just another report on Africa’s integration but it is a policy tool for action,” Gatete said.
Dr. Kategekwa highlighted that the path to economic unity lies in linking trade with industrial production and shared prosperity. “We do not only dare to dream in talking about how we deliver the African Economic Community,” she added.
