The Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which entered into force on 30 May 2019, became operational on January 1, 2021. The Agreement is designed as a framework for successive rounds of negotiations on trade in goods and services and other trade-related issues such as competition, investment and intellectual property rights with two phases. The first phase of negotiation involves developing the protocols on trade in goods; trade in service and the rules and procedure on settlement of dispute with their several annexes. The second phase of negotiation involves the remaining protocols mentioned above and an additional of digital trade, women and youth in trade protocols. Those protocols that were negotiated under the 2nd phase are adopted except for the digital, women and youth protocol which is expected to be adopted recently at the 12th meeting of the council of ministers.
