The promise of Abuja

In 1991, African leaders gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, to sign an agreement that could redefine the continent’s destiny, the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, better known as the Abuja Treaty. It was more than a policy document; it was a vision. A promise that Africa could rise beyond colonial fragmentation, build shared prosperity through trade, and reclaim control over its economic future. More than three decades later, that vision still stands though not yet fully realized.

ENTREPRENEURS AND THE AFRICAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

11/12/20253 min read

Revisiting the Abuja Treaty: The Blueprint for African Economic Unity

The Abuja Treaty sought to unify Africa’s 50+ nations into a single economic community, modeled in part on the European Union’s approach to gradual integration.

Its six-phase plan outlined a bold agenda:

Strengthen regional economic communities (RECs) like ECOWAS, SADC, and COMESA;
Eliminate trade barriers;
Create a common market and monetary union;
And eventually establish an African Central Bank and African Parliament.

At its core, the treaty aimed to turn Africa’s immense resources into shared power shifting the narrative from dependence on foreign aid to self-directed development.

Progress and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

While implementation has been slow, the Abuja Treaty laid the groundwork for one of Africa’s most important modern milestones: the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in 2018.

AfCFTA now represents the world’s largest free trade area by number of countries covering 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of over $3 trillion. 48 countries have ratified AfCFTA as of 2025,.World Bank reports project that the AfCFTA agreement could boost regional incomes by as much as 450 billion. Though logistics, infrastructure, and political will still pose challenges, AfCFTA embodies the treaty’s spirit: unity through shared markets and opportunity.

Challenges to Continental Integration

For all its promise, African economic unity has been slowed by structural and political realities:

Fragmented infrastructure limits inter-African trade. It’s often cheaper to trade with Europe or China than with neighboring African states.
Currency disparities and lack of harmonized financial systems make transactions complex.
Political instability and regional conflicts stall progress in key areas of the treaty.
Dependence on external trade partners continues to distort internal markets.

Only about 15% of Africa’s trade is intra-African compared to 60% in Europe. Despite these hurdles, the momentum for African-led solutions is growing. Initiatives like the African Development Bank’s “One Africa” infrastructure projects, and the push for digital currency interoperability, reflect renewed commitment to the original Abuja dream.

Reclaiming Economic Sovereignty

The Abuja Treaty’s ultimate goal was not merely free trade it was economic independence. After centuries of extraction and external influence, the treaty envisioned a self-sustaining Africa where the wealth generated from African labor and land circulates within the continent. But true economic sovereignty requires more than policy. It requires trust, cooperation, and a reimagining of what unity means in a globalized age. Regional partnerships like the East African Community’s shared visa system or cross-border energy projects give us a model of what integrated African growth can look like.

The Role of the Global Black Community

The dream of African unity has never been confined to the continent. From Marcus Garvey’s call for a global Black economy to the Pan-African movements of the 20th century, the diaspora has always been part of this story. Today, that connection can evolve from sentiment to structure. The global Black community across the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean can invest in African innovation, amplify AfCFTA opportunities, and support grassroots trade networks that bridge the diaspora and the continent. African American investment collectives are supporting tech in Ghana and Kenya, Caribbean-African trade pacts seek to increase trade, and diaspora tourism initiatives hope to spur economic exchange and bring new life into local economies. When diaspora capital and African ingenuity unite, the Abuja Treaty’s vision of a self-determined, interlinked Black world becomes tangible.

The Promise Still Lives

Thirty-plus years later, the Abuja Treaty stands as both blueprint and challenge. It reminds us that unity is not a slogan. It’s a system, a set of policies and choices that can turn shared struggle into shared strength. The treaty’s architects believed Africa could one day speak with one economic voice. The work ahead is to make that voice impossible to ignore in trade, in policy, and in the global imagination. The Abuja Treaty was never just about borders or markets. It was, and remains, a declaration that Africa’s destiny belongs to Africans, and that prosperity, when shared, becomes power.