The recent launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) - now the largest free trade area across Africa - ushers in a new framework for trade and integration on the continent. The proposed “Grand” FTA will stretch from Cape Town to Cairo, creating an integrated market with a combined population of almost 600 million people and a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about US$1 trillion. The TFTA comprises the three largest regional economic communities (RECs) in Africa: the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It also stands as part of a much more ambitious agenda to establish a continental FTA by 2017, and ultimately, a continental customs union by 2019. As Africa moves one step closer to consolidating its vision of regional integration, opportunities and challenges - at the global, regional and national level - present themselves along the way. The global landscape is changing with the proliferation of new mega-regionals and preference schemes. In addition, several regional integration initiatives now operate alongside each other often with overlapping membership. Notwithstanding these developments, structural impediments Such as infrastructure constraints and behind-the border issues persist. The...