The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) is a proposed African free trade agreement ( between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC). Benefits like free access to commodities and removal of tariffs from 90% goods, may be disadvantagious for Malawi, says The National Working Group on Trade and Policy.

The group’s chairperson Frederick Changaya described the TFTA as Malawi’s recipe for low wages and low employment, then poverty. “Too much roads without economic activities or with activities that have less value as is case now means that our development capital benefits imports which is GNP for other countries whose imports we consume” says Changaya,  backing up his views.

The TFTA Agreement requires 14 ratifications to enter into force. So far, four countries have both signed and ratified the Agreement: Kenya, Egypt, Uganda, and South Africa. Malawi was yet to ratify, but Changaya has suggested that the country should weigh the cons of TFTA before ratifying.