An appraisal of the effects of the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement on Regional Trade Agreements(RTAs): A case of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA)

Abstract

Regional Trading Agreements have since time immemorial played a critical role in granting adequate negotiation avenues to countries undertaking measures in the global multilateral trading system. These Agreements equally support intra-regional trade through the elimination of various tariff and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) such as the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. Pursuant to this, the African Union conceived the idea of a regional trading bloc that would facilitate trade on the broader continent.