African governments need to earn the trust of young people if they are to successfully implement the African Continental Free Trade Area and ensure the participation of the largest population cohort on the continent.

Listen to this article 6 min Listen to this article 6 min Hailed as a key to unlocking rapid economic growth on the continent, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has reignited hope that Africa will be able to realise its economic potential through a unified free trade area merging the continent's 1.3 billion people.

The AfCFTA was established in 2019 when 54 member states signed it into existence. By October 2022, the Guided Trade Initiative, a pilot programme for trading under AfCFTA, was set up with eight countries.

The progress made in terms of setting up and implementing the AfCFTA and its supporting protocols over the last six years is commendable -- especially in a context where leaders in Africa do not have a good track record of successfully realising policies that they promise to the public.

What is discouraging about the AfCFTA, however, is that it risks going down the same path as previously failed policies. This is because, as much political will as there is to implement it, public trust in institutions and governance is at a record low in Africa -- especially among young people.

What further cements this lack of trust in AfCFTA are...