The functionality of the African continental free trade agreement during the transition from political integration to economic integration

Hosting 55 countries and more than 1.35 billion people, Africa is one of the most important continents in terms of geopolitics and geoeconomics. The transatlantic slave trade, which took place between the 15th and 18th centuries, caused a significant portion of the continent's inhabitants to be displaced to America and the Caribbean. This diaspora, which forms an important part of Africa, has entered into a diverse and long struggle to obtain their rights and freedoms. This struggle has been directed by the Pan-Africanist movement. This movement, which emerged in the diaspora at the beginning of the 20th century, became the roadmap for Africa to get rid of the yoke of colonialism. Moreover, Pan-Africanism went down in history as Africa's first political integration effort. The Organization of African Union (OAU), which was created in 1963 to represent the entire African continent, emerged as a fruit of Pan-Africanism. Established with the mission of protecting the sovereignty and political integrity of African states, the OAU later took important steps towards regional economic integration - from the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action to the creation of the Abuja Treaty of 1991. Furthermore, the continental organization was reformed in 2002 and restructured under the name of the African Union (AU) to fulfill its economic integration objectives more effectively. The main vision of the AU, which born from the ashes of OAU, is to transform Africa into an integrated and prosperous continent that constitutes a dynamic powerhouse in the international system. In line with this vision, an agenda was prepared in 2013 that includes huge projects to encourage all sectors such as agriculture, energy, education, transport, infrastructure, economy, policy and security: Agenda 2063. In addition, an agreement that will make Africa the largest common market in the world with around $ 2.5 trillion of GDP, which will bring together 1.35 billion consumers was implemented in 2019 and fully operationalized on January 1, 2021: The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This agreement, which aims to establish a free trade and free movement zone, customs union, common market, monetary union and economic community in Africa, is described as the last stage of the economic integration of Africa. From this point of view, the process from political to economic integration in Africa and the functionality of AfCFTA in that process will be discussed in the present dissertation. Key Words: African Union, African Continental free Trade Agreement, Regional Economic Community, Integration, Pan-Africanism