INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY AND ETHNO-REGIONALIST SENSIBILITIES OF AfCFTA IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Abstract

The paper examines the ecstasies of intra-African Trade for the development of African continent which is termed as ethno-regionalist sensibilities. Evidently, there is wide scholastic atmosphere which portray Euro-American agenda in international relations. Because, the postwar of international political economy exposing the gap of economic disequilibrium between the west and the former colonies. Despite the visible multilateral developmental agencies in the global system, the continent of Africa is still disposed the latter of deficit balance of payment. This becomes the basis for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by the African Leaders since 2018 to confront any bully at international trade frontier. Even though this feat meant to cater for the development of the globalizing environment, the preexisting asymmetric national interests of the AfCFTA member states becomes ambivalent outlook of the programme. Thus, institutionalizing AfCFTA in some African states like Nigeria is also a major concern because of the persisting developmental issues in the polity. Therefore, the pervasive governance is the reason to make this research significant to the implementation of AfCFTA in Nigeria.  Data were collected both from primary and secondary sources, , using institutional and development (dependency) theories  to   examined   the strength of AfCFTA in Nigeria’s  economy. Findings reveals   the internal intricacies of the Nigerian polity which inhibits the effectiveness of AfCFTA in Nigeria.