Regional trade agreements and intra – African trade

Given the recent establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) this study aims to estimate the treatment effect of membership to an African trade agreement on intra – African trade. Considering the formal formation of African trade agreements and the actual removal of tariff barriers in the past three decades, trade agreements seem to have played a supporting role at best in boosting intra- African trade. Furthermore, the elimination of non – tariff barriers seems to be at least of the same importance as the elimination of tariff barriers in order to increase intra – African trade.