International Trade Law

Symposium: Assessing the First Years of Implementation of the AFCFTA: Challenges and Opportunities — La coexistence entre la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine et les Communautés économiques régionales africaines

L'intégration économique régionale entendue comme « un processus qui conduit plusieurs économies distinctes à former un seul espace économique » (Beitone, Cazorla, Dollo, Drai, Dictionnaire de science économique, p. 290) régional représente un enjeu majeur pour le développement des États. Cette intégration économique est organisée en degrés correspondants aux différentes formes d’intégration. L’un de ses premiers degrés d’intégration est appelé la zone de libre-échange (Elsa Tapsoba, Intégration économique et normes internationales du travail en Afrique de l’Ouest (UEMOA) p.18). Celle-ci correspond à la zone dans laquelle est assurée l’abolition des droits de douane et des barrières non tarifaires entre les pays membres d’une communauté avec toutefois une indépendance des politiques tarifaires extérieures. Il existe plusieurs zones de libre-échange à travers le monde telles que L’Accord de Libre Échange Nord-Américain, le MERCOSUR,Partenariat Économique Régional Global (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement en anglais) et la liste n’est pas exhaustive.

Symposium: Assessing the First Years of Implementation of the AFCFTA: Challenges and Opportunities — The Geopolitics of Neo-Colonial Trade and the Necessity of an Effective AfCFTA

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents the most ambitious attempt to unify the continent’s markets under a single framework, with the potential not only to expand intra-African trade but also to reposition Africa within the global economy. Can the AfCFTA break Africa’s cycle of dependency and reposition the continent in the global economy? In this paper, we aim to offer an analysis of the impact of persistent colonial institutional practices on development in Africa, and the role of an African Continental Free Trade Area in articulating agency, creating shockproof economies, establishing continental trade corridors, building regional value chains, and finally asserting Africa’s position in the global economy.

Symposium Introduction: Assessing the First Years of Implementation of the AFCFTA: Challenges and Opportunities

The Blog Symposium is therefore a collective intellectual journey across Africa’s diverse regions, from north to south, west to east. It reflects a multiplicity of perspectives, backgrounds, and academic traditions, united by a shared commitment to Africa’s economic integration and transformation. This could have not been possible without the assistance, advise and support of Prof Olabisi Akinkugbe and the whole AfronomicsLaw team. We are grateful for this platform which is making an unprecedented contribution in amplifying African voices in the space of international (economic) law.

Book Review II of The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement: The Development of a Rules-Based Trading Order

The AfCFTA, which aims at setting up a single market for goods and services ‘from Cairo to Cape Town’, is the subject of the eloquent monograph written by Professor Kufuor. The author, a well-known scholar on African legal affairs, has published extensively, inter alia, on world trade, on (the problems of) African integration and on RECs. Therefore, he is eminently qualified to write about the pan-African ‘Trading Order’.

Call for Papers: Workshop for Early Career Scholars to Prepare a Manuscript Submission to the Journal of World Investment and Trade (JWIT)

Embarking on an academic career is both exciting and challenging, particularly for legal researchers in the early stages; however, navigating the complexities of academic publishing can be daunting. This workshop is tailored to support early career scholars by providing a comprehensive overview of the publication process in JWIT. Participants will gain valuable insights into crafting a scientifically rigorous article with guidance on every phase from the initial draft to the final peer review.

Purdy Crawford Workshop on International Business Law: Rethinking the Dimensions of International Economic Law

Join Schulich Law Associate Professor Olabisi D. Akinkugbe, Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law, along with nearly 50 other leading scholars, graduate students, and legal practitioners for the Purdy Crawford Workshop on International Business Law: Rethinking the Dimensions of International Economic Law.

Call for Papers: International Law Weekend 2024 - Powerless law or law for the powerless?

The American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) is pleased to invite panel proposals for International Law Weekend 2024 (ILW 2024)—the premier international law event of the fall season. ILW 2024 will take place October 24-26, 2024 in New York City.

The AfCFTA’s Digital Trade Rules are Not Fit for Africa

African heads of state are slated to meet this weekend for the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union and they could be prompted to make an unforced error that could weigh heavily in the continent’s plans to promote digital industrialization and the bridging of the digital divide.

Consultancy Opportunity: Economic Commission for Africa and Africa Trade Policy Centre - Trade and Environment Consultant

The primary objective of this assignment is to contribute to ATPC’s various workstreams centering around the interface of trade policy on the one hand and climate change and environmental concerns on the other within the context of African integration led by trade. The addition of a trade-and-environment expert to ATPC’s pool of experts will allow the Centre to expand, deepen and refine its work and provide opportunities for more robust and in-depth analysis of initiatives taken in this area.