Driving African Integration: Mobilizing Resources and Operationalizing the TFTA

By Danilo Desiderio

As the East African Community (EAC) assumes the rotating chairmanship of the Tripartite Task Force, it has sounded a clarion call for a unified, continent-wide resource mobilization strategy. This initiative aims to replace the current fragmented fundraising mechanisms with a cohesive framework that enhances Africa’s financial independence and strengthens self-sustainability across the African Union (AU) and its Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

At present, many AU and REC institutions remain heavily reliant on external donors, with some organizations depending on foreign funding for more than 70 percent of their budgets. This dependency, compounded by inconsistent contributions from member states and the lack of a centralized financial system, severely hampers regional integration efforts and undermines long-term development goals.

The need for a streamlined, continent-wide resource mobilization mechanism is not just prudent – it’s imperative. Such a framework would bolster the financial autonomy and operational effectiveness of Africa’s key institutions, enabling them to drive the continent’s development agenda without being held hostage to shifting global donor priorities.

Call for Strategic Financing and African Ownership

Speaking at a recent AUDA-NEPAD roundtable in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the EAC Secretary General emphasized the urgency of adopting a coordinated financing approach to realize the ambitious vision of Agenda 2063. She advocated for blended finance models that integrate public, private, and philanthropic capital, urging greater participation from African businesses and philanthropists in funding continental priorities.

In addition, she stressed the importance of fiscal discipline, efficient resource allocation, and leveraging digital technologies to improve planning and implementation across sectors. Echoing this sentiment, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission reiterated the need for Africa to shift from donor dependence to a model grounded in African ownership of Africa’s development narrative.

Operationalizing the Tripartite Free Trade Area: Key Challenges Ahead

The EAC’s leadership also comes at a pivotal moment for the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), which officially entered into force on July 25, 2024, after securing the required 14 ratifications. However, several critical instruments remain pending, including final tariff offers, product-specific rules of origin – particularly in contentious sectors such as textiles and automotive – and additional ratifications from remaining partner states.

Other pressing issues include:

• Facilitating the Movement of Persons: The Tripartite Agreement adopted in March 2023 to ease visa requirements for traders and professionals has seen delays in ratification. Accelerating this process is essential for boosting intra-African trade and economic activity.
• Strengthening Institutional Capacity: The absence of a permanent TFTA Secretariat remains a major institutional gap. Currently, coordination falls to a rotating Task Force with limited mandate. Establishing a dedicated administrative body will be crucial for effective governance and implementation.
• Reviving the Industrial Development Pillar: One of the three core pillars of the TFTA – alongside market integration and infrastructure development – the industrial development component must be revitalized to build productive capacity within the Eastern African, Southern African, and North-East African regions.

Toward Continental Integration: Lessons from Past Attempts

Notably, the TFTA agreement allows for accession by other AU member states beyond the current three RECs (EAC, SADC, and COMESA), signaling its potential as a model for broader continental integration. In fact, as early as January 2012, the AU Assembly endorsed Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.392(XVIII), encouraging the formation of a second tripartite bloc comprising ECOWAS, ECCAS, CEN-SAD, and AMU.

Despite promising discussions in 2013, however, these efforts failed to materialize into concrete agreements.

This pattern – enthusiastic beginnings followed by stalled implementation—has become all too familiar in Africa’s integration journey. Recent attempts to merge RECs, such as those between IGAD and EAC or ECCAS and CEMAC, have similarly struggled to gain traction despite renewed interest in recent months.

A Continent at a Crossroads

Africa stands at a crossroads. While the continent has made commendable strides toward regional integration and self-reliance, the persistent reliance on external aid, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and inconsistent political will continue to impede progress.

The EAC’s leadership in championing a harmonized resource mobilization strategy and pushing forward the TFTA agenda represents a timely opportunity to reinvigorate Africa’s integration efforts. But for this momentum to translate into tangible outcomes, stakeholders must commit to sustained collaboration, institutional reform, and above all, a shared belief in the power of African solutions for African challenges.

Only then can the continent fully own and drive its future.

Danilo Desiderio serves as the CEO of Desiderio Consultants Ltd in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in African customs, trade, and transport policies. He is a customs and trade expert at the World Bank and a senior associate to the Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute (HESPI).