Bulls n Bears Entrepreneurship Zone :: Shakir Akorede: How a single market would transform Africa’s economy

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Africa is charting a new path towards a single continental market – and
it’s going to be an economic revolution.

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, reasserted the resolve of the
African leaders during the recently-concluded 30th African Union Summit,
where he said: “We must push ahead to speedily establish the Continental
Free Trade Area (CFTA), which will make Africa more integrated, united and
prosperous.”

But what is the CFTA, and how will a single market solve Africa’s economic
ills?

According to the African Union, the CFTA is a project to bring together all
African countries – comprising 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of over
US$3.4tn – under a single continental market for goods and services,
including free movement of businesspeople and investments, and expansion of
intra-African trade.

Trade is crucial to development. Unfortunately, Africa currently has the
lowest percentage of intra-regional trade in the world at 18%, compared with
70% in Europe, 55% in North America, 45% in Asia, and 35% in Latin America.

Nonetheless, analysts are confident that Africa is marching forward, citing
the CFTA plus other developments as notable indications. An estimate by the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa notes: “The CFTA could
increase trade between African countries by as much as $35bn, an increase of
more than 50% from current levels.” What’s more, it will make Africa the
world’s largest free-trade area in terms of member states.

Here’s how the single market will pave the way for a remarkable
transformation in Africa’s economy.


Actualising Africa’s economic independence


There’s ample research that validates how impossible it is to achieve
economic development without trade. As such, it’s excruciating that Africa
does not trade enough with itself.

The only way to improve the current dismal levels of regional trade is to
disrupt all the existing barriers on the demand and supply sides that limit
its rapid increase. According to Oby Ezekwesili, former vice president of
the World Bank’s Africa division and co-founder of the anti-corruption NGO
Transparency International, only a single market model has the enormous
potential to deliver such a massive scale of disruption and, ultimately,
place Africa on the route to economic prosperity.

Aligning the trade policies, regulations and institutions of the 54
countries to promote continental trade will enhance the economies of scale,
structural transformation, diversification, efficiency and productivity
boosts. This will benefit producers, consumers and governments in phenomenal
ways.

The single market has the potential to push regional trade levels up from
15% to 25% within a decade, which will, in turn, exponentially increase the
continent’s annual economic growth, create wealth more inclusively and
reduce poverty.


Deregulating the aviation industry


Aviation contributes $72.5bn in GDP to Africa, and supports over 6.8
million jobs. This is in spite of the challenges that abound in the 54
countries, in dealing with 54 different civil aviation authorities and 54
sets of rules regarding travel, trade and tourism.

Leaving aside the difficulty of doing business, it can be a nightmare even
travelling from one African country to another in the face of all this red
tape. Imagine the massive gains if all of the 54 sets of rules were
collapsed into one regulatory framework that allows the movement of goods
and services in one singular market!

Fortunately, the African Union has just unveiled the first phase of the
Single African Air Transport Market in a bid to untangle intra-African air
connectivity. This development, notes Segun Demuren, the managing director
and CEO of the Lagos-based EAN Aviation, will turbo-charge African aviation
through improved market access across the continent.

A 2014 study by the International Air Transport Association shows that
implementing these changes in just 12 key markets out of the 54 would
provide a potential five million extra passengers a year with unrestrained
opportunities to travel and trade. It would also create an additional
155,000 jobs and potentially increase the GDP of those 12 countries by an
additional $1.3bn.

That’s just a quarter of the countries. Imagine the impact a single market
would have across the continent.


>From tariff liberalisation to massive investment rate


A major obstacle to intra-African trade is the tariff barrier. Firstly, it
makes the process of trading extremely difficult. On top of that, it raises
the price of imported goods, as well as hiking transaction costs.

If the central goal of the single market is to jump-start the continent’s
economic prospect, then tariff reduction or a total elimination of custom
duties on imported goods from within the continent is a necessity. By
recommending these measures, the CFTA presents the hope for a more stable
trade regime, continental market access and huge increase in the rate of
investment. This is because the CFTA will trigger trade liberalisation, an
imperative catalyst for economic prosperity and sustainable development.

By and large, Africa would gain tremendously from a single market – plus
other highly anticipated projects, such as a single currency, which would
enhance regional monetary unions and international currency value.

As stated by African Economic Outlook’s 2017 report: “Trade between African
countries has the greatest potential for building sustainable economic
development and integration.” It will not only increase the scale and rate
of mobility of persons, businesses, goods, services and capital across and
within Africa. It will also create higher-wage jobs, catalyse economic
evolution and unlock greater business opportunities.

With all this, the McKinsey Global Institute is right to characterise
African economies as “lions on the move”.—Howwemadeitinafrica


<https://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/shakir-akorede-how-a-single-market-woul
d-transform-africas-economy/61303/shakir-akorede/> 

Shakir Akorede

 

 

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