The agreement was brokered by the African Union (AU) and was signed on by 44 of its 55 member states in Kigali, Rwanda on March 21, 2018.[1][5] The agreement initially requires members to remove tariffs from 90% of goods, allowing free access to commodities, goods, and services across the continent.[4] The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that the agreement will boost intra-African trade by 52 percent by 2022.[3] The proposal was set to come into force 30 days after ratification by 22 of the signatory states.[4] On April 2, 2019, The Gambia became the 22nd state to ratify the agreement,[7] and on April 29 the Saharawi Republic made the 22nd deposit of instruments of ratification; the agreement will go into force on May 30 and will enter its operational phase following a summit on July 7, 2019.[8]