A publication made recently available by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Institute on its website analyses the results of the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) based on empirical data gathered from the experiences of participating State Parties and companies. The study documents and provides information on how the GTI evolved, the practical challenges faced by various African States in its implementation and the successes achieved. The purpose is to drew lessons and recommend solutions aimed at facilitating countries that are currently joining the initiative.

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Reading the data of the World Wildlife Crime Report 2024 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), one can understand why border controls in Africa are so tight and barriers to trade so high. Sub-Saharan Africa is the paradise of illicit trade, a trade that national States try to crush through strict and some time invasive controls at borders. Only wildlife materials account for 19 percent share of seizures worldwide, putting the continent on the top of the list of the regions where this kind of illicit trafficking is more common. But illicit trade in Africa, and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, is not limited to wildlife. The UNODC report depicts a worrying scenario where illegal firearms, drugs, smuggled gold, meat, counterfeit medications and even cash trafficking are widespread, with organized criminal networks that thrive from profits derived from these businesses. Commenting the results of an operation on illegal trafficking that covered eight African countries, the report concludes that such convergence of criminal interests in different illicit trade sectors “is an area of increasing research and concern”.

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