Intra-continental trade in Africa saw a pivotal leap forward in 2023, underscoring a growing market for African products within Africa. This positive trend also highlights the potential Africa has within its own borders to close the disparity that exists between its market and other global powerhouses. While not to the same degree, African countries are beginning to key into the idea of circulating its wealth within the motherland.
Intracontinental trade within Africa continues to foster collaboration among African states, resulting in the development of common infrastructure, the standardization of laws, and the removal of trade obstacles.
Expansion throughout the continent hinges to some extent on this trading amongst African countries, which has thus far played an important role in the continent’s socio-economic integration. This is where initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) come in.
The positive trend reflects the concerted efforts of several African countries, notably the ongoing implementation of the AfCFTA, to encourage trade throughout the continent.
However, the aggregate values obscure considerable regional variances. Southern Africa’s extraordinary growth rate of 41.1% in trade with surrounding nations strengthened its position as the primary driver of intra-African trade in 2023.
West Africa also maintained its position as the second-largest intraAfrican commercial subregion, accounting for 25.7% of overall intraAfrican trade.
East Africa emerged as the third-largest intra-African commerce subregion, accounting for 14.1 percent. North and Central Africa contributed for approximately 12.4% and 6.6%, respectively, of overall intra-African commerce.
With that said, here are the 10 African countries who imported the most goods by amount spent, from other African countries.
Top 10 African countries that spent the most money on other African countries
| Rank | Country | Intra African imports (in US$ billion) | Growth rate (%) | Country share of total intra-African imports (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
South Africa |
9.59 |
-2.78 |
11.71 2 |
|
2. |
Mali |
5.03 |
15.48 |
6.14 |
|
3. |
Botswana |
4.92 |
-13.17 |
6.01 |
|
4. |
Zimbabwe |
4.73 |
6.76 |
5.78 |
|
5. |
Côte d’Ivoire |
4.70 |
15.53 |
5.75 |
|
6. |
Zambia |
3.75 |
-9.82 |
4.59 |
|
7. |
Democratic Republic of Congo |
3.55 |
19.53 |
4.33 |
|
8. |
Uganda |
3.44 |
101.92 |
4.21 |
|
9. |
Mozambique |
3.23 |
18.80 |
3.94 |
|
10. |
Namibia |
3.12 |
-6.21 |
3.81 |
