Douala, 24 September 2025 (ECA) – Central Africa has welcomed the 11th edition of the Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA XI) report, titled “Realizing the African Economic Community – Towards a Continental Customs Union and a Common Market.”
Negotiators and AfCFTA focal points from the ten Member States of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), together with representatives of the CEMAC Commission and the private sector, commended the quality and evidence-based approach of the report. They reaffirmed their commitment to adopt and implement the recommendations of ARIA XI in order to strengthen regional economic convergence and advance the implementation of both the AfCFTA and the ECCAS common market.
In this regard, participants recommended that ARIA XI be included in the agenda of ECCAS decision-making bodies, particularly at the next session of the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on the common market, economic, monetary and financial Affairs, at both technical and ministerial levels, to foster regional ownership of the report’s key recommendations.
“ARIA XI provides policymakers and regional partners with practical guidance to accelerate Africa’s economic and trade convergence,” said Parfait Eppoh, AfCFTA negotiator for the Republic of Cameroon.
Presented by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on the sidelines of the regional workshop on the development of a regional digital trade policy for Central Africa, ARIA XI underscores that establishing a continental common market is a decisive lever for boosting intra-African trade, strengthening economic resilience, and enhancing the continent’s global competitiveness.
“ARIA XI lays out a clear roadmap for moving from free trade to genuine economic integration at the continental level. For Central Africa, it is a strategic opportunity to consolidate the foundations of its common market and align with the broader continental agenda,” emphasized Joseph Baricako, Economist at ECA.
As ECCAS accelerates the establishment of its regional common market, the report calls for faster harmonization of trade and fiscal policies, greater pooling of regional infrastructure, and stronger institutional coordination among regional economic communities (RECs) to consolidate the gains of the AfCFTA.
A Flagship Report Guiding Africa’s Structural Transformation
Launched in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 12 July 2025, during the 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, ARIA XI focuses on the progressive construction of the African common market and the continental customs union, building on the achievements of the african continental free trade area (AfCFTA).
A joint publication of the ECA, the African Union Commission (AUC), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), ARIA XI remains a flagship analytical report that informs, guides, and supports African member states and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in implementing the milestones of the Abuja Treaty toward the realization of the African Economic Community.
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Zacharie Roger MBARGA - Communications Officer
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