The reality of aid for trade in Africa : does supply meet demand?

There is a great deal of data about how trade and aid for trade efforts affect the developing world. The OECD, who makes it available for donors, recipient countries and researchers all over the world, holds a great deal of this information. This database is also the basis of the Global Review of Aid for Trade. This information, while good, is a bit too broad if one wants to draw conclusions for specific areas and issues. As African countries prepare for the second Global Review that is scheduled to take place in the first half of this year, it is imperative that much thought be put on how the implementation of AfT could be made to optimally address the trade challenges of the region. What this paper has sought to do is to look at AfT in Africa. Much of the information used to undertake the quantitative analysis already exists. The paper makes like for like comparisons across countries and across Regional Economic Communities to elucidate how AfT looks on Africa ground. The paper wanted to tell the AfT story for Africa.