Dispute settlement in the AfCFTA investment protocol

Journal article


Idornigie, Paul and Moneke, Enuma 2025. Dispute settlement in the AfCFTA investment protocol. Journal of World Investment and Trade. 26, pp. 1-45. https://doi.org/10.1163/22119000-12340388
AuthorsIdornigie, Paul and Moneke, Enuma
AbstractThe African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement 2018 and its Protocols are some of the most notable efforts by the African Union to improve economic integration in recent times. These instruments are timely because Africa has remained the weakest continent in the area of trade, investments and economic integration. Although, African States have previously concluded agreements to harmonise the domestic trade and investment policies for economic integration, it is expected that the Protocol to the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area on Investment 2023 (Investment Protocol) will have a more far-reaching impact. However, to achieve this, the available dispute settlement mechanisms must be adequate and perceived to be legitimate given the backlash against traditional investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS), particularly investor-State arbitration. Accordingly, this article makes proposals for reform of ISDS rules and mechanisms for the Investment Protocol and concludes that these are crucial for economic integration in Africa.
KeywordsAfCFTA investment protocol; Economic integration; Investor-state dispute settlement; Pan-African investment court
Year2025
JournalJournal of World Investment and Trade
Journal citation26, pp. 1-45
PublisherBrill
ISSN1660-7112
2211-9000
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1163/22119000-12340388
Official URLhttps://brill.com/view/journals/jwit/aop/article-10.1163-22119000-12340388/article-10.1163-22119000-12340388.xml
Publication dates
Online16 Oct 2025
Publication process dates
Accepted18 Aug 2025
Deposited30 Oct 2025
Accepted author manuscript
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Open
Output statusPublished
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