AFRICA is a wealthy continent which has been impoverished by the generations of misrule, first by the imperial powers that carved it up between them and then by the leaders who emerged as states gained their independence.

The politics of modern Africa have been bedeviled by the irrational frontiers often drawn by colonial administrators in far-away European chancelleries. These men simply took account of imperial rivalries and regularly sliced through communities, apportioning them between two or more powers.

For those outside countries, Africa was to be exploited, first in the main for its slaves and later for its mineral resources, timber and fine farmland. Post-colonial states were often left with little save their freedom. Even that remained compromised by the enduring economic influence of their former colonial masters. And the few states with a superabundance of wealth, such as oil-rich Nigeria, have suffered from years of bad government, corruption and breath-taking inefficiency.

The African Union, founded in 2001 with the accession of all 55 African states, was the first important step to redress the baleful colonial inheritance and seek to give the continent a united voice in world affairs. Seventeen years on, progress has been slow but the goal of closer integration continues to underpin its work.

Now a new development promises to give greater clout to Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) was signed into existence this week by the leaders of 44 African states. The plan is to remove all trade barriers, including tariffs and import quotas. The first implementation of new open trading borders is slated for later this year. But the deal first needs to be ratified by the legislators in each state. In addition, ten countries, including Nigeria, have refused to join in. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari actually pulled out of the signing ceremony at the last minute, apparently in response to pressure from labor unions who feared a loss of jobs to lower cost neighbors. The Nigerians are now saying they want broader consultations but their adherence to the CFTA is not yet ruled out.

It would be completely unrealistic to expect the approval process in parliaments to go smoothly. Free trade will mean winners and losers. Countries with small and less efficient manufacturing bases will find their products challenged by cheaper, more efficient companies elsewhere in Africa. Moreover, treasuries will be losing a key revenue source from customs duties. One calculation puts the loss at around $4 billion. And for some states, frontier officials will lose a useful income flow if they can no longer demand bribes to permit shipments to pass. There will also be understandable concerns that the move to fling open borders to free trade will encourage and embolden smugglers of illegal goods.

There will therefore be many challenges ahead and the effective introduction of CFTA measures may take years to complete. But this does not undermine the undoubtedly correct vision that in the end, a single market, which currently numbers 1.2 billion people in the 44 signatory states, is worth the immense effort that will be involved. Ultimately, everyone is likely to benefit from the removal of trade barriers. And Africa will win for itself a powerful voice at international trade negotiations, where until now the continent has had, at best, a mere walk-on part. The CFTA is therefore surely an exciting and welcome deal for Africans.