One suitable theory to build a postcolonial analysis of the African Continental Free

Trade Area (AfCFTA) is Dependency Theory. Dependency Theory emerged in the

1950s and 1960s as a critique of classical economic theories that focused on the
development of nations in isolation. Instead, Dependency Theory argues that the
economic development of less-developed countries is inherently linked to and
dependent on the economic policies and actions of more developed countries.

In the context of the AfCFTA, Dependency Theory can provide a lens through
which to understand the historical and ongoing economic relationships between
African countries and their former colonial powers. The theory emphasizes how
colonialism established economic structures that perpetuated the exploitation of
African resources and hindered their industrialization and self-sufficiency.

Dependency Theory posits that colonial powers, through their extractive economic
policies, ensured that African countries remained dependent on the export of raw
materials and commodities, while importing manufactured goods from the
colonizers. This created a pattern of economic dependence and limited African
countries' ability to develop diversified and self-sustaining economies.

When analyzing the AfCFTA, a postcolonial lens informed by Dependency Theory

can highlight how the establishment of a free trade area among African nations
seeks to address the legacy of economic dependency. It can explore how the
AfCFTA aims to promote intra-African trade, reduce trade barriers, and encourage
industrialization and diversification of African economies.

However, a postcolonial analysis informed by Dependency Theory can also raise

critical questions about the challenges and potential limitations of the AfCFTA. It
can examine whether African countries continue to face unequal power dynamics
in their economic relationships with former colonial powers or with emerging
global economic players. It can also explore how historical patterns of resource
extraction and neocolonial economic practices might persist even within the
framework of the AfCFTA.

Utilizing Dependency Theory as a theoretical framework in a postcolonial analysis

of the AfCFTA can provide valuable insights into the complex economic
dynamics, historical legacies, and power imbalances that shape the continental
trade agreement and its potential impact on Africa's economic development.