Pr Moussa Diaw

The AfCFTA is being deployed in a paradoxical African context: enormous economic potential but hampered by persistent conflicts and insecurity: Mali, Sudan, DRC, Sahel, Horn of Africa. Terrorism and transnational insurgencies: Boko Haram, AQIM, Al-Shabaab. Coups d’état and political instability: Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon, Mali. However, while conflict dynamics directly threaten the effectiveness of the AfCFTA, it can also become an instrument of peace through economic interdependence and inclusive development, strengthening security, consolidating governance and linking economic integration with peace processes.