Trans-border Trade: Beyond A Project!

T rans-border trade is said to heading for better days ahead in some CEMAC countries following the launch of a project that reportedly has much in stock to ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area bears good fruit. Christened, “Project to Support the Mobilisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the Benefit of Cross- Border Trade,” the African Development Bank-funded and International Organisation for Migration-executed venture has as goal to lay a solid groundwork to facili­ tating cross-border trade. Reports say it seeks to harness the opportunities offered by the free trade area to boost cross-border trade, promote economic in­ clusion and strengthen resilience in vulnerable areas. Specificities of the project show that the underlying target is to contribute to the development of transna­ tional cooperation and regional integration, the esta­ blishment of the trade platform along the Douala– Kousséri (up to the border with Chad) and Douala– Bangui regional transport corridors as well as safe­ guarding the stability and resilience of the communi­ ties. The Project to Support the Mobilisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area for the Benefit of Cross-Bor­ der Trade is certainly good. More so as it handles infra­ structure upgrading which are indispensable for the movement of persons and goods. No one doubts the fact that the Douala–Bangui and Douala–Kousséri corridors are economic, social and human spaces that link the sub-regional territories and markets, thereby facilitating the movement of goods, people, skills and capital. They also serve as bridges between the econo­ mies of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and, beyond that, the wider Central African region. That the project also provides for institutional capacity-building, support for the national committees of the AfCFTA and trade facilitation, as well as awareness-raising initiatives and the sharing of best practices with local communities is encouraging, to say the least. This sounds reassuring looking at the context of trade and integration within the sub-region. However, CEMAC leaders should be able to go beyond the project if cross-border trade must produce the desired dividends. Genuine integration within the sub-region is still a far- fetched dream. In fact, according to a report on the state of integration in Central Africa published by the UN Economic Commission for Africa in June 2024, before the international crisis linked to the global CO­ VID-19 pandemic, CEMAC countries were those with the lowest levels of trade amongst themselves, both within Africa and globally. Worse still, the much talked about sub-regional integration and the free movement of people and goods has largely remained a paper re­ commendation each time the leaders meet with little to show on the field thereafter. Meanwhile, it is an open secret that in the context of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the free movement of people is essential to stimulate trade and enable African countries to capi­ talise on opportunities for economic growth, poverty reduction and economic inclusion. The obstacles faced by citizens of the sub-region when travelling from one country to the other make it more difficult to conduct business, engage in tourism and achieve integration in general. The weak production aptitudes of the sub-re­ gional countries are other causes for concern. Whereas, trade between countries involves goods they produce, else, they would be buying from others to sell to each other. Not good at all! Africa in general and CEMAC sub-region in particular should not be oblivious ...