Trade & Industry

The Department’s core mandate is to support the AU in boosting intra-African trade, fast track establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and to ensure Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy. It supports Africa’s transformation by promoting diversification and modernisation of production structures. The Department’s core functions are to: ensure the formulation, implementation and harmonisation of trade policies to promote inter- and intra-African trade; ensure development of policies on tariffs, non-tariff barriers and free movement of business people; liaise with relevant stakeholders, such as chambers of commerce, industrial associations, exporters, importers, non-governmental organisations and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), to ensure fair trade; provide support to AU Member States in global trade negotiations; collect, analyse and monitor data on global trends in trade and the impact on Africa. The Department is also responsible for implementing initiatives such as Accelerating Industrialisation of Africa (AIDA) and the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), which promote transparency, social responsibility and tax compliance in the extractive industry. The Department has three divisions: Trade; Industry; and Customs Cooperation.