ABSTRACT
The AfCFTA builds upon a rich history of experiments in continental integration in Africa. This chapter identifies five periods with distinct approaches to such integration and, with this retrospective, charts the evolution of the vision of continental economic integration, and the methods towards its attainment. Doing so places the AfCFTA in its historical context and draws the attention of its champions to challenges that previous iterations of the integration movement encountered. The chapter highlights the successes and stumbling blocks faced by previous attempts at integration, and provides a basis for evaluating the prospects of the AfCFTA.
