AfCFTA was supposed to usher in a new era of continental trade and economic growth—but Beijing’s not letting that happen.
When the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was initially proposed at the African Union summit in 2012, it had two goals: First, build a pan-African agenda in trade and cooperation. Second, lift a large percentage of people out of poverty by instituting structural economic changes and cooperative legislation.
The bloc’s establishment signified a monumental shift in African trade and development. For years, African trade has been mostly limited to colonial trade routes, a practice that has resulted in the continent’s countries trading more internationally than among themselves. With the AfCFTA—a $3.4 trillion economic bloc that includes 1.3 billion people and is expected to become the world’s largest free trade zone—Africa’s fortunes were supposed to change.
But now, as the trade bloc enters its first few months, African nations are not the ones who will be reaping the deal’s greatest benefits—Beijing is.
China is now sub-Saharan Africa’s most visible—and perhaps even biggest—trading partner, a role that has even positioned it to shape policy across the continent. Through its spending sprees, Beijing is shifting African policy in its favor. After a $40 billion pledge in Chinese investments to Nigeria, the Nigerian government reduced the diplomatic status of Taiwan and ordered Taipei’s trade mission out of Abuja. China’s influence can also be seen at the U.N.: In June 2020, 25 African countries backed Beijing during a vote about the Hong Kong national security law.
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