Harmonizing policies to transform the trading environment

In support of progress towards regional integration in Africa, the Economic Commission for Africa, African Union Commission and African Development Bank jointly produce Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA). The first edition (ARIA I), published in 2004, provided a comprehensive assessment of the status of regional integration in Africa, with subsequent editions focusing on thematic areas. Thus ARIA II examined the rationalization of regional economic communities and their overlapping memberships. ARIA III addressed macroeconomic policy convergence, as well as monetary and financial integration in the regional economic communities. ARIA IV focused on enhancing intra-African trade. ARIA V provided analytical research and empirical evidence to support the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area and the benefits that African countries stand to gain from it. ARIA VI, "Harmonizing policies to transform the trading environment", carries forward the momentum of January 2012's decision and declaration by addressing the issue of harmonizing rules of origin and trade facilitation to ease Continental Free Trade Area negotiations by member States. The report starts with a brief overview of progress in regional integration, followed by discussions on the harmonization of three key prerequisites to pave the way for a meaningful continental market - rules of origin, trade facilitation instruments and cross-border linkages for information and communications technology.