This set of policy briefs intend to inform the upcoming discussions at the 9th Tana Forum. This year’s theme is “The AfCFTA: Revitalizing Pan Africanism for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa.” The first brief by Brenda K. Kombo “Strengthening the Potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area by Integrating Human Rights” suggests that situating human rights more firmly within AfCFTA may render it more human-centered and, thereby, address some of the concerns that a narrow focus on international economic law tends to ignore. The second policy brief by Binyam Zewde Alemayehu “High-Impact Entrepreneurship As Enabler For A Stronger IntraAfrica Trade” outlines some of the major issues that demand the attention of Regional, Continental and International Organisations (RCIOs) to help countries work towards improving their capacity in producing and exporting high-value products. The next policy brief by Dr. Sally Deffor “Implementation of an E-commerce Framework within the AfCFTA: What Does It Take and What Lessons Can Be Learned from Europe’s Digital Single Market? “is drawing lessons from the European Commission’s Digital Single Market (DSM) Strategy arguing for a standalone, definitive continental-wide e-commerce framework. The following policy brief by Adetayo Adetuyi “The Effect of COVID-19 on the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)” aims to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of the AfCFTA. It also examines the extent to which the current COVID-19 pandemic may rather represent an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the AfCFTA. The next policy brief by Dr. Eyob Balcha Gebremariam “African Continental Free Trade Area: Risks and Strategies” argues that one of the most imminent risks of AfCFTA is the potential restrictions on the African states from having a ‘directional thrust’ to shape the production, control, access and distribution of resources in their respective economies. The last policy brief by Norman Sempijja “ Security and AfCFTA: Opportunity for a More Integrated Approach to Continental Peace and Security” explores the possible impact AfCFTA will have on the security regimes in place at a regional and continental level to facilitate trade between countries.
