Abstract
This paper aims to analyse the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and its potential to unleash the development of women in Africa. The envisaged benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement include increased trade diversification, regional integration, enhanced human security, increased foreign direct investment and technological advancement. Despite optimism about the prospects of the agreement as a local innovation spearheaded by the African Union, pessimists raise questions about the extent of stakeholder engagement. The agreement must be gender-responsive to enhance outcomes for women cross-border traders. The paper concludes that the lack of gender sensitivity confirms the need to address the specific needs of African women over-represented in informal cross-border trade. Hence for ACFTA, the policy focus should be on ensuring the formalisation of women who partake in informal trade, thus helping increase access to markets, information, and growth opportunities.