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Sustainable Development Under AfCFTA: Dimensions, Limitations and Prospects

  • Collins Chikodili Ajibo EMAIL logo and Thoko Kaime
Published/Copyright: April 30, 2024

Abstract

Sustainable development constitutes a catch phrase for integrated and inclusive development more so in Africa that is battling with development challenges. Despite its legitimization at the highest institutional level, a principal impediment encountered in the concretization of sustainable development principles (environmental, social and economic) in Africa remains the enforcement conundrum. The situation is compounded by indifference of the state and non-state actors. Cases of environmental damage, social malpractices and economic marginalization in the execution of trade and investment policies are largely treated with levity, with prioritization accorded to financial accruals over disciplining delinquent behaviour. Consequently, the emergence of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) with provisions on sustainable development renews hope for the concretization of the sustainable development principles in Africa. A crystallization of effective enforcement of sustainable development principles is deeply intertwined with an existence of an effective peer-review mechanism with a network of reporting linkages. Arguably, effective peer review system is fundamental to assessment of state of play, investigation of violations, collation of reports, and institutional strengthening to change the dynamics in favour of improved performance.


Corresponding author: Collins Chikodili Ajibo, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria, E-mail:

  1. Author contributions: The authors are solely responsible for the opinions expressed here and not the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’.

  2. Research funding: This research is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, as part of the Georg Forster Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers awarded to the author.

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Received: 2023-12-22
Published Online: 2024-04-30
Published in Print: 2025-02-25

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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