The African Union (a political organization not centered around free trade) has existed for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union https://en.

The African Union (a political organization not centered around free trade) has existed for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union This African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is just one of the AU's recent initiatives.