Trade Facilitation in Africa: A Review of Concepts and Empirical Facts

Paul Terna Gbahabo, Foluso Akinsola and Gloria Afful-Mensah ()
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Paul Terna Gbahabo: Stellenbosch Business School
Foluso Akinsola: University Canada West

Chapter Chapter 24 in The Palgrave Handbook of International Trade and Development in Africa, 2024, pp 463-490 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Economic theory suggests that trade is a key driver of economic growth and prosperity. However, high trade transaction costs and border inefficiencies caused by tariffs and non-tariff barriers at entry points, as well as weak institutional structures at border agencies, can stymie trade flows, particularly in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world in which intermediate goods and final products cross borders several times before final consumption. As a result, improving trade facilitation measures can simplify, harmonise, standardise, and streamline trade procedures, ensuring the efficient and timely flow of cross-border trade. Against this backdrop, this chapter explores the context and conceptual issues surrounding cross-border trade in Africa to provide an in-depth understanding and empirical insights into the critical issues and policies necessary to improve trade facilitation in Africa. Specifically, the chapter explores the conceptual definition and measurement of trade facilitation, the cost and benefits, the theoretical framework, the descriptive analysis of empirical facts, and an assessment of previous WTO and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Trade Facilitation Agreements towards the achievement of Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals. The chapter concludes with recommended policy reforms for efficient trade facilitation in Africa.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-65715-3_24

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