Trade Policy and Agreements for Economic Growth and Development in Africa: Challenges & Opportunities

Abstract

This article addresses Africa’s trade policy towards improving export performance and development. The article is organized into six sections.  Section 1.0 provides introductory remarks on the limitations of the primary sector in the process of trade performance and development.  Section 2.0 discusses the status of the primary sector in the economic structure of Africa, while Section 3.0 focuses on trade performance in manufactures and Africa’s share in global trade.  Section 4.0 points out the effects of such agreements as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on trade performance in Africa.  Section 5.0 discusses the challenges and opportunities of trade performance in Africa, and Section 6.0 provides the conclusion and recapitulates the article.