Regional organisations
Regional organisations are blocs of African countries. They provide the institutional basis for regional integration, allowing countries to work together on issues that transcend national borders, including trade. Regional organisations help coordinate policies and facilitate the movement of goods, services and people across borders. Beyond the African Union, the largest regional organisation, Africa is home to a large number of regional organisations and trade agreements. This makes the overall system more complex and raises coordination issues.
Resources on regional organisations
Status of AfCFTA ratification
By Tralac.
20 January 2026
Making Africa’s integration work for jobs, scale, and structural change
By Anrew Dabalen, Woubet Kassa, Pierre Nguimkeu, Foresight Africa 2026.
01 January 2026
African Integration Report 2025 - Strengthening the implementation of regional frameworks to fully leverage continental achievements
By the African Union.
25 August 2025
Reflections for the implementation of the AfCFTA protocol on women and youth in trade
By Penny Parenzee and Agisanang Magooa.
30 July 2025
Assessing regional integration in Africa ARIA XI – Delivering on the African Economic Community: Towards an African Continental Customs Union and African Continental Common Market
By the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
12 July 2025
The African Continental Free Trade Area: A tralac guide, 13th edition
By Tralac.
09 May 2025
Assessing five years of the African Continental Free Trade Area
By Kiiza Africa and South Centre.
23 January 2025
Economic Development in Africa Report 2024: Unlocking Africa's trade potential. Boosting regional markets and reducing risks
By UNCTAD.
01 January 2025
How AfCFTA-regional relations can support continental trade
This paper reviews, discusses and analyses relations between the AfCFTA secretariat and regional bodies, both on paper and in practice, to identify where and how these might be shaped to jointly benefit both regional and AfCFTA trade.
25 September 2024
AfCFTA protocol on competition policy: Factsheet
By Tralac.
05 October 2023
