Foreword: Building the Legal Profession in Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA)

The conference's theme was 'Building the Legal Profession in Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).'It attracted delegates and presenters inter alia heads of state, presidents, former presidents, AFBA members, high ranking African Union officials, distinguished legal fraternity members, lawyers, academics and representatives of Africa's security clusters across the African continent.The theme of the Conference was centred around the AfCFTA and included the following sub-themes inter alia Human Rights and the AfCFTA; Armed Conflicts and Internal Security Challenges for the AfCFTA, the AfCFTA and the African Lawyer; Cross-border Movement of Goods and Services in the AfCFTA; the Role of Democratic Elections in the AfCFTA, the Energy Sector and the AFCFTA; and the Rule of Law Crisis in the Continent.The papers presented were informative, probing, critical and appreciative of African initiatives in continental economic integration.Seven papers were submitted to CILSA for publication in a themed issue that aligns with the one for the 2023 AFBA Conference.