ENHANCING INTRA-REGIONAL EXPORT TRADE: THE AFRICAN TRADE OBSERVATORY.
The African Trade Observatory (ATO) is one of the five operational instruments of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) that serves as a repository of trade information and allows to monitor the pace of trade and economic integration in Africa. This is aimed at enhancing intra-regional opportunities by expressing new analysis for trading partners and policy makers.
The instrument was launched during the 12th Extra-Ordinary African Union Summit, held in July 2019, Niamey, Niger led by the African Union (AU) and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), specifically through its Trade and Market Intelligence (TMI) section and has a time span of 8 years since its launch until 28 February 2026.
The instrument has customized dashboard with three specialized modules that includes:
- Compare: this section allows users to compare markets for their products to identify the available and upcoming market opportunities for different products and services.
- Explore: this section allows the users to explore more and deeper to find detailed trade and market access information for an identified opportunity.
- Monitor: this section is more configured for the African policymakers to enable them track the state of intra-African integration over time.
For more information on ATO, click on the following links:
Website: https://ato.africa/en/about