Harmonized Standards Could Unlock Seamless African Trade

Five years into the African Continental Free Trade Area, tariff cuts have boosted intra-African commerce, but fragmented regulatory systems now pose the next major hurdle. Technical barriers to trade account for roughly 40% of restrictions across the continent, driving up costs for exporters even when goods already meet agreed standards elsewhere. Mutual recognition agreements and harmonized standards are emerging as critical solutions, allowing accredited testing and certification in one country to be accepted elsewhere, reducing duplication. East Africa offers evidence of the benefits: conformity-assessment times fell by 44% between 2017 and 2023, while median compliance costs fell by more than 50%. To truly build a single market, Africa must harmonize standards across the continent and ensure regulatory cooperation between its countries.