Can trade in the era of globalisation be fair or just? Drawing on lessons from the slave trade and studies of the international finance institutions, these essays provide insights into how free trade policies have a profoundly negative impact on the rights of communities, environmental sustainability, and the development of democracy in Africa. Whether it is the absence of womens voices at global trade negotiations, the decimation of a countrys health system as a result of World Bank policies, or the sacrificing of community rights in the interests of multinational corporations, it is clear that free trade policies impose a profit first and people last regime on Africa.

Patrick Burnett is the news and information coordinator for Fahamu and the coeditor of Pambazuka News. He has a background in journalism and is based in Cape Town, South Africa. Firoze Manji is the founder and executive director of Fahamu and the editor of Pambazuka News. He is the former program director for the International Secretariat of Amnesty International and the former CEO for the Aga Khan Foundation UK.