The “Scramble for Africa” was the diplomatic and colonial struggle for control of Africa by European powers, spanning roughly 50 years, beginning in the middle of the 19th century. In 2017, Africa exported 38 percent of all its goods to EU nations, and imported 37 percent from the EU, according to data from Eurostat. In June 2016, the African Union (AU) and the EU signed African Union Support Program iii, providing trade development funds to Africa. But what does this have to do with a free-trade zone, supposedly created to make Africa more modern and independent? Watch for Europe to make more inroads into Africa, using economic weapons like the free-trade zone to its advantage.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 19, 2019 11:03 UTC