The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) is a partially implemented African free trade agreement between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC).
[1] The 29 tripartite member/partner countries represent 53% of the African Union's membership, more than 60% of continental GDP ($1.88 trillion), and a combined population of 800 million.
[1] On June 10, 2015, a deal was signed in Egypt, pending ratification by the participating countries.
[3] The TFTA entered into force on July 25, 2024, after the requirement of 14 countries ratifying the agreement had been met.
[2][4] The 14 countries that now trade under the TFTA are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, accounting for 75% of tripartite GDP in 2022.