Africa’s ambitious trade plan needs to speed up

IN 1963, AS decolonisation swept through Africa, politicians heady with pan-African ideals called for a common continental market. They saw it as a way to transcend colonial economic models based upon extracting and exporting natural resources. Sadly there has been all too little progress since. Intra-African trade remains small compared with the continent’s external trade. Primary commodities account for more than 70% of Africa’s exports. Just 18% of exports by African countries are to others on the continent—a lower share than equivalent figures for Asia (58%) and Europe (68%).