Africa.

Countries: 54 sovereign nations encompassing North Africa, Maghreb, East Africa, Central Africa, Southern Cone, West Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, English, French, Portuguese, Arabic speaking markets.

Population Total: 1.57billion with the youngest median ages of any continent, which was roughly 19.7 in 2012.

Local Languages: 2000

Total Continent GDP: $4.2 trillion 2027

Average Annual Income: $10,000

Economic Unions and Blocs: 8

The Continental Framework

ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States): Dominant in West Africa, it promotes regional economic cooperation and integration.

AMU (Arab Maghreb Union): Geared toward North African nations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania.

SACU (Southern African Customs Union): The world’s oldest functioning customs union, which tightly links Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.

EAC (East African Community): Centered in East Africa, it has successfully established a Customs Union and a Common Market.

CEN-SAD (Community of Sahel-Saharan States): A broad organisation spanning North, West, Central, and East Africa that focuses on economic integration and regional security.

COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa): A massive free trade area stretching from North Africa to the southern tip of the continent.

UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union): An economic bloc within ECOWAS that shares a common currency (the CFA Franc) and a customs union.

AfCFTA: A continent-wide free-trade zone designed to create a single market for goods and services, facilitate the free movement of people and capital, and eventually form a customs union.

SADC (Southern African Development Community): Focuses on socio-economic cooperation, integration, and security in Southern Africa.

CEMAC (Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa): A sub-group of ECCAS that shares the CFA Franc as a common currency.