The AfCFTA provides an opportunity for the Member States of the Africa Union (AU) to address gender inequality in intra-African trade. The AfCFTA is a significant tool to tackle the socio-economic and systemic challenges faced by AfCFTA women and youth in cross-border trade. Women and youth, as entrepreneurs, producers, traders (i.e. importers or exporters), investors, service providers or consumers, are key beneficiaries and drivers of the AfCFTA.

The AfCFTA rules are gender-neutral. However, many legal instruments of the AfCFTA (i.e. AfCFTA Agreement, Protocols on Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights) make explicit references to gender, women and youth in order to address gender specific issues in the AfCFTA. The references to gender, women or youth seek to enhance the participation of women or youth in the AfCFTA and intra-African trade. This Factsheet highlights the references to gender, women or youth in the AfCFTA legal instruments.