Four barriers keep Africa's trade blocs from uniting the continent

Despite Africa's push to unify through eight regional economic communities and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), progress is slow due to four barriers: lingering colonial dependencies shaping post‑colonial trade patterns; a large informal cross-border economy that remains outside formal blocs; overlapping memberships and colonial-era arrangements that hinder cohesion; and mission creep, with blocs juggling economics, security, and governance without a clear shared priority.