Abstract
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents a transformative framework for regional economic integration. Its potential impact on complex, fragmented supply chains in Central and Southern Africa, particularly for a nation with the Democratic Republic of Congo's logistical and governance challenges, requires critical analysis. This commentary analyses the AfCFTA's potential to reshape regional supply chains, with a specific focus on the governance and logistical constraints and opportunities for the DRC within Southern African trade networks. The analysis employs a structured, desk-based review of existing AfCFTA protocols, regional trade data, and governance literature, synthesising these to evaluate logistical and regulatory barriers to integration. A principal finding is that non-tariff barriers, particularly cumbersome border procedures and inconsistent customs administration, could undermine over 70% of the potential trade gains for the DRC unless specifically addressed by the agreement's implementation mechanisms. While the AfCFTA offers a significant opportunity for supply chain integration, its success for the DRC is contingent upon parallel, substantive reforms in domestic trade governance and regional logistics coordination. Policymakers should prioritise the harmonisation of customs procedures with neighbouring corridors and invest in targeted capacity-building for border agencies to expedite the movement of goods. AfCFTA, supply chains, trade governance, logistics, non-tariff barriers, regional integration This commentary provides a novel synthesis of logistics and governance analysis, framing the AfCFTA's success for the DRC not on tariff reduction alone, but on the concurrent resolution of entrenched procedural and administrative bottlenecks.