The AfCFTA Review Mechanism Consultative Meeting took place in Abuja from 8-11 May 2023. This significant gathering aimed to strengthen the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at the national level by developing a robust review mechanism.

The meeting had the objective of sharing knowledge on other review mechanisms, including the WTO Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) by the High-Level Panel on Sustainable Development (HLFP), African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by Human Rights Council.

Regional Economic Communities (RECs) shared their experiences and participated in discussions to gather inputs for designing the AfCFTA Review Mechanism. Key elements discussed for the design included the objectives and purposes of reviews, frequency of reviews, types of reviews, role of actors in the review process, information and documents required for a review process, and the institutional embedding.

Among the participants were representatives from Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cabo Verde, Chad, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and the secretariats of CENSAD, CEMAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, and UMA+.

The consultation highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability in formulating and implementing national trade policy. The review mechanism was discussed as a platform for information exchange, stakeholder engagement, awareness creation, and capacity building. It was also emphasized as a tool for conflict resolution and reducing litigation risks among member countries.

The meeting underlined the review mechanism’s role in identifying challenges and gaps in AfCFTA’s implementation, which could inform priority areas for technical assistance and capacity building. Lastly, it stressed the mechanism’s function in providing input for the development of recommendations, best practices, and other complementary instruments to facilitate AfCFTA’s implementation.

The consultative meeting marked a significant step forward in actualizing the potential of the AfCFTA through a systematic and participatory review process.