Africa: Free Trade Pact Highlights Egypt's Pivot Back Towards Africa

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On Wednesday, presidents and other leaders representing twenty-six African countries meeting at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh signed an agreement to launch a "Cape to Cairo" free trade zone spanning the length of the continent.

The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), as it will formally be known, will embrace three of Africa's major economic blocs--the East Africa Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)--with a combined population of some 625 million people and an overall gross domestic product of more than $1 trillion.

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