On March 21, 2018, heads of state from 44 African countries met in Kigali, Rwanda to sign the framework agreement forming a new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). To date, 49 countries have signed the agreement and eight of them have already ratified. If the agreement is ratified by all 55 member states of the African Union, the AfCFTA will establish one of the largest free trade areas in the world, covering over 1.2 billion people and $2.5 trillion in GDP.
Following the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, African leaders aim to create under the AfCFTA, a single continental market for goods and services, as well as a single customs union similar to that of the European Union. It is hoped that these efforts will harmonize trade liberalization at the sub-regional and continental level, thus driving employment and boosting African economies.
Researchers of the AGRODEP Network are invited to submit their research papers related to the continental free trade area and to trade integration in Africa, based on, but not limited to, the following approaches:
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Trade data and Indicators
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Econometrics of Trade
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Partial equilibrium and single country CGE modeling
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Multi-country CGE assessment
The abstracts/research papers will be reviewed by members of the workshop’s scientific committee. Selected papers will be invited for presentation at a workshop to be held in November 2018 in Dakar, Senegal. The objective of the workshop is to provide evidence-based discussions on this important topic and help sort out both technical details and political trade-offs with high quality research through the AGRODEP network.
Important Dates & Application Information
The workshop will take place in Dakar on November 12, 2018.
The deadline for submitting an extended abstract with a minimum of 1000 words or (preferably) a completed paper is August 31, 2018. The abstracts or research papers should be submitted online at: http://www.agrodep.org/form/call-papers-agrodep-workshop-african-continental-free-trade-area. Notification of decisions and further information about the workshop will be sent out by September 20, 2018.
Expenses
Participation in the workshop is free, and IFPRI/AGRODEP will cover economy travel and lodging expenses for participants.
Scientific Committee:
- Will Martin, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI-Washington DC (TBC)
- Ahmadou Aly Mbaye, Professor, Cheickh Anta Diop University, Dakar
- Sunday Odjo, Research Coordinator, IFPRI-Dakar
- Mustapha Sadni Jallab, Head of the Training and Research Division, IDEP
- Luca Salvatici, Professor of Economic Policy, Roma Tre University (TBC)
- Fousseini Traore, Research Fellow, IFPRI-Dakar
For further questions or information about paper submission and the workshop, please send an email to agrodep-workshop@cgiar.org.