Publication

This paper analyzes the proposed joint customs union known as the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), which would link together the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Because they assume that the success of the TFTA will ultimately depend on the commitment of the largest economies in the above regions, the paper’s authors specifically cast their sights on the “regional trade intensity and complementarity” of South Africa and the three largest non-SADC economies that want to join the TFTA – Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya. After their analysis, the authors ultimately conclude that there is indeed a sound basis for regional integration in the form of the TFTA.