Behind the public relations spectacles complete with faces smiling for the camera, the paperwork needed to transform the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from good intentions to tangible benefits is far from done. With 54 member countries, a combined GDP of US$3.8 trillion and a total population of 1.2 billion, the agreement creates the world’s largest free trade area. Its aim is to promote intra-Africa trade, which has historically been minimal, ranging between 13% for intra-imports and 17% for intraexports over the last seven years. “Questions abound. How will governments manage AfCFTA’s winners and losers when existing social protections are weak, and informal markets dominate many sectors?” write researchers Frank Mattheis and Ueli Staeger in an article written for The Conversation. “Will governments still respect the agreement even if it hurts some of their businesses and state companies? And how will they deal with the loss of customs revenue?” they ask. Negotiations, which are scheduled to be completed by January 2020, will make specific sector commitments. Member states have also undertaken to develop frameworks for regulatory cooperation. Simultaneously, African states are preparing offers of tariff concessions, and finalising rules of origin negotiations for textiles and clothing, automotive and sugar products. Until these negotiations are concluded, and the outcomes implemented, trade under the AfCFTA in goods or services, cannot begin, according to Tralac. Of particular interest to logistics companies is the focus (or lack of it) on services. The 2019 World trade report found that, although global services trade has expanded significantly in recent years, intra-Africa trade in services is still low. There is a very important role for the private sector to play in this process: “It is imperative that non-state actors, such as firms in services sectors, be actively engaged in the preparations for these sector commitment and regulatory framework negotiations. “Firms will know what the opportunities are in other African countries and they will also know the barriers to accessing those opportunities. “This information is essential to make the request and offer process of negotiations for sector commitments deliver real outcomes,” states Tralac in an October 2019 briefing paper