Dar es Salaam, March 26 -- THE establishment of free trade between much of both continents for half a century has created growth in many areas. However, the data analysis shows that Africa remains on unequal footing.

Gold, cocoa and oil are goods that are sought-after globally. And they can all be found in abundance in Ghana. This explains why the West African country earns more from exports than it has to pay for imports.

To receive beneficial export conditions, Ghana granted market access to trading partners for suboptimal returns.

Heres an example that shows how complex the effects of such trade agreements can be — and why export surpluses can belie a situation where some people will lose out.

For example, 80% of chickens in ...