Article 19(2) of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement states that ‘other RECs, regional trade arrangements and customs unions which have attained among themselves higher levels of regional integration than under this Agreement shall maintain such higher levels among themselves’. Currently there are numerous existing regional economic communities (RECs) and bilateral trade agreements in place and ongoing liberalisation efforts. In accordance with Article 19(2) one of the determinants of whether an existing trade arrangement will remain is the level of integration which has been achieved among the parties of the trade arrangement.