Dr Joy Kategekwa's Public Lecture on Regional Integration in Africa

The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town convened Dr Joy Kategekwa's Public Lecture. Dr Kategekwa is a prominent international trade and investment lawyer. She currently serves as the Director of the African Development Bank's Regional Integration Coordination Office. In this public lecture, Dr Joy Kategekwa discussed the importance of regional integration in Africa, emphasizing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She highlighted Africa's geographical challenges, including sixteen landlocked countries and thirty-three least developed countries, and stressed the need for industrialisation and infrastructure development. Dr Kategekwa noted Africa's 3% share in global merchandise trade and the potential of intra-African trade, which currently stands at 14-15%. She called for investments in cross-border infrastructure, trade finance, and industrial parks to support industrialisation. The AfCFTA, she argued, must be supported by regional economic communities and multilateral development banks to ensure its success.