The short answer
Most African countries belong to one or more regional economic communities – ECOWAS in the west, the EAC in the east, SADC in the south, COMESA across the east and south – and two CFA franc monetary unions link 14 countries. On top of these, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) covers almost the whole continent.
AfCFTA
The Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area aims at a single market for goods and services across Africa. According to tralac’s status tracker (updated 7 September 2026), 48 of the 54 countries covered here have deposited their instruments of ratification; not yet: Benin, Botswana, Eritrea, Libya, South Sudan, Sudan.
ECOWAS – Economic Community of West African States
12 members: Benin, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left ECOWAS on 29 January 2025 (ECOWAS statement of 30 January 2025). They remain members of UEMOA.
Source: ecowas.int
EAC – East African Community
8 members: Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
Somalia became a full member on 4 March 2024, DR Congo in 2022 and South Sudan in 2016.
Source: eac.int
SADC – Southern African Development Community
16 members: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DR Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Source: sadc.int
COMESA – Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
21 members: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Source: comesa.int
ECCAS – Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)
10 members: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe.
Rwanda announced its withdrawal from ECCAS in June 2025, so it is not shown here. The ECCAS website could not be reached when we checked, so this list relies on a secondary source.
Source: ktpress.rw (secondary source)
IGAD – Intergovernmental Authority on Development
7 members: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda.
Eritrea withdrew again in late 2025 (IGAD statement of 12 December 2025).
Source: igad.int
AMU – Arab Maghreb Union (Union du Maghreb Arabe, UMA)
5 members: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia.
The Union has held no summit for many years, but it still exists.
Source: maghrebarabe.org
UEMOA – West African Economic and Monetary Union (Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine, WAEMU)
8 members: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo.
Its eight members share the West African CFA franc (XOF), issued by the BCEAO.
Source: e-docucenter.uemoa.int
CEMAC – Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communaute Economique et Monetaire de l'Afrique Centrale)
6 members: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon.
Its six members share the Central African CFA franc (XAF), issued by the BEAC.
Source: cemac.int
AES – Confederation of Sahel States / Alliance of Sahel States (Confederation des Etats du Sahel / Alliance des Etats du Sahel)
3 members: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger adopted the treaty creating the Confederation of Sahel States in Niamey on 6 July 2024.
Source: presidencedufaso.bf
Memberships read from each bloc’s own website where it could be reached, checked October 2026. Blocs change – check before you rely on a membership. Not legal advice.