Regional integration and trade

About The Regional Integration and Trade Division

The Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD) is responsible for promoting regional cooperation and integration among African countries. It has three main sections: African Trade Policy Centre, Regional Integration, and Market Institutions. The division aims to enhance the capacity of member states and regional economic communities to develop policies related to deepening regional markets, boosting intra-African trade and investment, accelerating industrialization, fostering market institutions, and tackling the challenges of structural transformation. The division also supports member states in ensuring policy coherence and alignment with the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.

Our Core Functions

• Contributing to enhancing the capacity of member States and regional economic communities to develop, implement and monitor policies and programmes to deepen regional markets and accelerate industrialization including in the pharmaceutical sector;

• Contributing to enhancing the capacity of member States and regional economic communities to develop, implement and monitor policies and programmes in the areas of intra-African and international trade;

• Assisting member States, Pan-African institutions, regional economic communities and intergovernmental organizations in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes for the advancement of Africa’s structural transformation;

• Developing and disseminating policy tools, instruments and guidelines and helping to build the capacity of member States (including African landlocked developing countries) to identify opportunities for diversification, value adding and the development of manufacturing and industrial clusters;

• Creating an enabling environment across the continent that is conducive to deeper regional integration;

• Supporting member States to ensure trade and industrialization policy coherence and the alignment of trade and industrialization policies with the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063;