A feminist political ecology perspective on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement

By Sonia Phalatse

ABSTRACT

This paper draws on a feminist political ecology framework to unpack the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and its implications for extractivism in Africa. Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) is an analytical framework that argues that gender, in relation to class, race, and other axes of power, shapes access to, and control over, natural resources. It is concerned with rethinking who makes decisions about the use and production of natural resources, while explicitly taking into account the historical roots of injustices stemming from extractivism that have stripped many communities of their lands, well-being, and their human rights. This paper argues that the AfCFTA must advance structural transformation that charts a transformational path for development in Africa.