Socio-economic conflict between different African countries is a problem causing instability and lack of significant development in the continent. Poverty, arbitrary borders, corruption and inept leadership are major contributors to conflict.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to provide stability by providing solutions to the causes of these conflicts. Not only will each country's interests be met, AfCFTA will also directly impact individuals in all member regions by creating more job opportunities in the industry and manufacturing sectors.
Socio-economic conflict in Africa can be avoided by consolidation (AfCFTA) within the African Union. The Sand War, the Anglophone Crisis, and the Eritrean-Ethiopian War are examples of conflicts in Africa that have erupted due to economic and political conflicts of interest between countries. (AfCFTA) is a strategic plan aimed at facilitating trade in Africa. It also means helping governments solve problems as they arise to avoid major conflicts. For example, Article 20 of the AfCFTA focuses on conflict resolution. With fewer disputes and stronger ties between countries, states will be more inclined to lower trade tariffs, lower costs and strengthen unity.
Conflicts can arise from philosophical differences in leadership. AfCFTA agrees on the roles and differences between member countries and therefore has a great harmony for a common goal.
AfCFTA has only the member states' interest in one Africa at heart. Religion has a long history of fueling conflict, but it's not always over differences in belief. The same phenomenon explains why some people enjoy a volatile mixture of faith and politics. Geopolitics is often the root cause of religious war, with those fighting for their religious ideals often harboring a desire to "spread religion". Then it is worth noting that the AfCFTA is religiously neutral and not biased by any faith or religious ideology.
Countries whose governments carefully implement the AfCFTA would see their borders well used for trade, which would immediately reduce the uncertainty caused by permeable borders. Governments tend to keep their source of revenue dear. Businesses inside the borders therefore generate more revenue and there will be more revenue to strengthen border security with the latest technology.
Although the AfCFTA will bring enormous development in Africa, conflicts may also arise from a lack of transparency. At this point, AfCFTA needs to ensure that corruption concerns are addressed in detail to improve accountability between countries and avoid conflicts. AfCFTA needs to measure the use of innovative technologies to capture, analyze and share data to prevent, detect and deter corrupt behaviour. AfCFTA must also be open in all its professional accountability processes.
The AfCFTA will mark the rise and success of a regional pact designed to facilitate trade, investment and economic integration among countries in Africa. Successful implementation of the AfCFTA will not only unite African countries of different socio-economic types, but may also prevent major conflicts or war crises on the continent.
Adetola Babalola is the author of the poetry collection, Words From Hell and a writer at African Liberty
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