Opinion: Will the African continental free trade area’s dispute settlement protocol be adequate to ensure compliance?

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Author: Nagu, Y.
• Pages: 120-134
• Published date: 30 October 2020
• Date: 30 October 2020
• Citation: (2020) 7(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 120

120

OPINION: WILL THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL

FREE TRADE AREA’S DISPUTE SETTLEMENT

PROTOCOL BE ADEQUATE TO ENSURE

COMPLIANCE?

Yakubu Nagu*

Abstract

The success of any regional integration or development initiative depends on

actors within that initiative operating smoothly and with some degree of efficiency.

A dispute settlement framework guarantees efficiency by providing a means by

which friction between actors can be reduced. African integration initiatives always

provide for a framework for conflict management. The African Continental Free

Trade Area (‘AfCFTA’) initiative is no different as it provides a mechanism

by which disputes arising in the course of deepening integration under the free

trade initiative can be resolved. The agreement creating the AfCFTA includes a

Protocol on Rules and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes. While the broad

importance of this protocol to the initiative cannot be over-emphasised, how the

dispute settlement system that it creates will function, as well as the potential of

its successful operation, appears to be riddled with ambiguity and shrouded in

doubt respectively. This is especially because the efficacy of other regional dispute

settlement systems in Africa has been undermined by myriad issues ranging from

technical inefficiencies to the absence of political will, often manifesting in outright

non-compliance. This article primarily appraises the AfCFTA’s Protocol on Rules

and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes and comments on the adequacy of

certain provisions.

Keywords: African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); compliance;

dispute settlement

Résumé

Le succès de toute initiative d’intégration ou de développement régional dépend

du bon fonctionnement et de l’efficacité des acteurs de cette initiative. Un cadre de

règlement des différends garantit l’efficacité en fournissant un moyen de réduire

les différends entre les acteurs. Les initiatives africaines d’intégration prévoient

toujours un cadre pour la gestion des conflits. L’initiative de la Zone de libre-

échange continentale africaine («ZLECAf») fait pareillement, car elle fournit

un mécanisme permettant de résoudre les différends découlant du renforcement

de l’intégration dans le cadre de l’initiative de libre-échange. L’accord créant le

ZLECAf comprend un Protocole sur les règles et procédures relatif au règlement

des différends. Bien que l’on ne puisse trop insister sur l’importance générale de ce

protocole pour l’initiative, la façon dont le système de règlement des différends qu’il

* PhD candidate and researcher, Centre for Comparative Law in Africa, Faculty of Law,

University of Cape Town. E-mail: ngxyak001@myuct.ac.za.

(2020) 7(1) Journal of Comparative Law in Africa 120

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