Africa's Regional and Global Integration

21 Pages Posted: 18 Sep 2024 Last revised: 7 Jan 2025

See all articles by Sebastian Krantz

Sebastian Krantz

Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Date Written: January 07, 2025

Abstract

This short paper examines Africa's regional and global integration through trade, global and regional value chains (GVCs and RVCs) at the aggregate and sector levels using detailed trade data and the EMERGING MRIO tables. It finds that the share of Africa's trade with itself is increasing and that precious stones and metals, petrochemicals, mining, and processed foods are driving RVCs, with high potential for further integration. Most RVC trade is within regional economic communities (RECs), particularly inside SADC, implying opportunities to expand RVCs in other RECs and establish cross-REC RVCs. The continent's upstreamness in GVCs has decreased in many sectors, suggesting a trend towards greater local value-addition.

Keywords: Africa, regional integration, trade, GVCs, RVCs

JEL Classification: F14, F15, O11

Suggested Citation

Krantz, Sebastian, Africa's Regional and Global Integration (January 07, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4929189 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4929189

Sebastian Krantz (Contact Author)

Kiel Institute for the World Economy ( email )

Kiellinie 66
Kiel, Schleswig-Hosltein D-24105
Germany

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