Comprehensive Platform Guide

The AfCFTA/AIDA Impact Assessment Platform is a continental initiative by AUDA-NEPAD and JICA that enables African Union member states to measure and monitor their readiness for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It provides real assessment data from 8+ participating nations across three integrated assessment tools.

The platform has two distinct areas:

• Public-Facing Website: Welcome page, interactive map, continental indicators, methodology pages, stakeholder survey portal — accessible without login
• Authenticated Platform: Dashboard, assessment tools (A/B/C), reports hub, document management, activity feed — requires login

• Supported Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (latest versions)
• Internet: Stable connection required for data entry and report generation
• Device: Desktop or laptop recommended; tablets supported for read-only access
• Screen Resolution: 1024px+ width recommended for assessment tools

• Platform Administrator: Full system access, user management, all countries, system configuration
• Country Focal Point: Manages all assessments for their assigned country, generates reports, manages stakeholders
• Data Collector: Enters data, completes surveys, views results for assigned country
• Stakeholder (Public): Participates in shared assessments via unique survey links — no account required

The public welcome page is the first thing visitors see. It features:

• Hero Section: Animated image carousel with live data badge showing real-time stats (assessments, countries, products)
• AI Search Bar: Ask any question about AIDA & AfCFTA — powered by AI chat assistant
• Navigation Bar: Home, Explore Data, Methodology, Resources, About, and "Access Platform" button
• Live News Ticker: Real-time African trade news updates at the bottom
• Continental Picture: Summary cards showing assessment progress, tool breakdowns, and completion status across all 52 AfCFTA member states

The Explore Data → Assessment Map page shows a colour-coded map of Africa with:

• Colour Coding: Dark green = all 3 tools complete, medium = 2 tools, light = 1 tool
• Filter Tabs: View by Overall, Tool A, Tool B, or Tool C
• Country Click: Click any country for detailed assessment breakdown
• Left Panel: Continental progress summary, stakeholder engagement stats, sign-in button

The Explore Data → Continental Indicators page provides a detailed data narrative:

• Key Statistics Banner: Countries assessed, total assessments, products tracked, import value, stakeholder inputs
• Continental Narrative: Written analysis of Africa's assessment journey with context and insights
• Tool-by-Tool Breakdown: Detailed data for each assessment instrument
• Regional Comparisons: East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa benchmarks

The Stakeholder Survey Portal allows public participation without requiring an account:

• No Login Needed: Anyone with the link can respond to Tool C cluster assessments
• Anonymous & Confidential: Stakeholder identity is protected
• 3–10 Minutes: Quick surveys on industrial readiness indicators
• 55 Member States: Responses contribute to continental data picture

1. Navigate to the platform and click "Access Platform" or "Sign In"
2. On the login page, click "Create Account"
3. Fill in required fields: First Name, Last Name, Email, Country, Organization
4. Create a strong password (minimum 8 characters with mixed case and numbers)
5. Select your user role (Country Focal Point, Data Collector, etc.)
6. Click "Create Account" to register

1. Click "Access Platform" on the welcome page or navigate directly to the login page
2. Enter your registered email address and password
3. Click "Login" — you'll be redirected to your personalised dashboard

After login, you land on the main dashboard — your command centre for all assessment activities:

• Greeting Banner: Personalised welcome with your name, country, and role
• Summary Statistics: Quick count cards for Tool A, B, C assessments and totals
• Quick Action Cards: Jump directly to any assessment tool with one click
• Recent Activity Feed: Latest submissions, stakeholder responses, and updates across all tools with colour-coded badges
• Charts & Insights: Visual overview of assessment completion and key performance metrics

The collapsible left sidebar provides access to all major sections:

• Dashboard — Home overview with activity feed and summary cards
• Tool A — AfCFTA Future Impact Assessment (Priority Products, SMART-WITS Analysis, Export Potential)
• Tool B — Enabling Environment Monitoring (Survey, Driver Results, Benchmarks)
• Tool C — AIDA Clusters (Sector Assessment, Stakeholder Sharing, Readiness Scores)
• Unified Report — AI-powered cross-tool analysis & narrative generation
• Documents — Upload, manage, and share policy documents
• Notifications — Alerts, pending actions, stakeholder activity
• User Guide — This comprehensive guide (you're here!)

From the public website or authenticated platform, explore Africa-wide assessment data through multiple views:

Clicking on any assessed country reveals:

• Assessment Status: Which tools have been completed and when
• Priority Products: Products identified for AfCFTA trade analysis (Tool A)
• Enabling Environment Score: Overall trade facilitation readiness (Tool B)
• Cluster Readiness: Industrial sector preparedness scores (Tool C)
• Regional Context: How the country compares to its regional peers

Tool A analyses the trade impact of AfCFTA on your country's priority products:

1. Navigate to Tool A → Assessment Dashboard from the sidebar
2. Click "New Assessment" and select your country
3. Add priority products using HS-6 code search or product name autocomplete
4. For each product, enter: tariff rates (before/after AfCFTA), import values, and trading partner countries

1. Go to SMART-WITS Analysis from the sidebar
2. Create a scenario: select products, partner countries, and tariff reduction assumptions
3. Click "Run Simulation" to compute trade creation, diversion, and welfare effects
4. Review results: import changes, revenue impact, export potential scores

For each product, the platform calculates an Export Potential Score (0–100) using a multi-source data strategy:

• Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA): Based on export specialisation patterns
• Market Size & Growth: Demand indicators from partner countries
• Tariff Preference Margins: How much AfCFTA reduces barriers vs. MFN rates
• Rules of Origin Compliance: Whether production meets AfCFTA value-addition thresholds

Tool B assesses your country's trade facilitation readiness through a structured survey with 32 questions:

1. Navigate to Tool B → Enabling Environment
2. Click "New Assessment" and select your country
3. Answer questions across four assessment categories:

Before submitting, a transparency modal shows your progress:

• Circular Progress Ring: Overall completion percentage at a glance
• Category Breakdown: Colour-coded bars per section (green 80%+, yellow 50-79%, red <50%)
• Data Transparency: Submitter name, role, date, and status
• Warnings: Critical alerts if completion is below 50%

After submission, the platform generates:

• Driver Performance Scores: Bar charts comparing performance across all 4 drivers
• Benchmark Comparisons: How your country scores vs. regional and continental averages
• Indicator-Level Detail: Drill down to individual question responses with benchmark data from World Bank, OECD, and IMF sources

1. Navigate to Tool C → AIDA Dashboard
2. Select your country and an industry cluster (e.g., Agro Processing, Mining, Pharmaceuticals)
3. Start the assessment by evaluating indicators across AIDA dimensions

1. Click "Share Assessment" to generate a unique survey link
2. Distribute the link to industry stakeholders (private sector, government, academia)
3. Stakeholders rate indicators as High, Medium, or Low
4. Responses aggregate automatically to produce consensus scores

After responses are collected, the platform computes:

• Overall Readiness Score (0–100%)
• Per-cluster breakdowns with radar charts
• Consensus analysis showing agreement levels
• Gap analysis identifying weakest dimensions

The Unified Report brings together all three assessment tools into a single cohesive view:

1. Navigate to Unified Report from the sidebar
2. Select your country and assessment year
3. Review the three summary cards showing Tool A, B, and C data status
4. Browse interactive charts: tariff impact before/after, trade creation forecasts, driver performance bars, cluster readiness radar
5. Click "Generate AI Report" to produce a comprehensive narrative analysis powered by AI

The AI report synthesizes all available data into a structured narrative:

• Executive Summary: Key findings across all three tools
• National Context: Country-specific trade environment analysis
• Regional Perspective: How the country compares to its regional peers (East/West/Southern Africa)
• Continental Positioning: Standing relative to all AfCFTA member states
• Policy Recommendations: Actionable suggestions for policymakers
• Cross-Tool Insights: Connections between trade impact, enabling conditions, and industrialisation readiness

• Copy Report: One-click copy of the AI-generated report as formatted text
• Export Data: Download raw assessment data in Excel or CSV format
• Print/PDF: Use the browser print function (Ctrl+P) for professional PDF output
• Chart Export: Individual charts can be saved as images

1. Navigate to Documents in the sidebar
2. Click "Upload" and drag-and-drop or browse for files
3. Add a title, description, and category (Assessment, Report, Policy, Training, etc.)
4. Toggle Public Access if the document should be available without login

Supported formats: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Images (max 10 MB).

• Use the live search bar to find documents instantly
• Filter by category pills (Assessment, Report, Policy, etc.)
• Toggle between List and Grid views
• Sort by Newest or Oldest

The notifications page keeps you informed of all platform activity relevant to your role:

• New Stakeholder Responses: When someone completes your shared Tool C survey
• Assessment Reminders: Incomplete assessments and upcoming deadlines
• System Updates: New features, maintenance notices, and platform announcements
• Report Ready: Notifications when AI reports have been generated
• Admin Alerts: User account approvals, role changes (admins only)

The dashboard activity feed shows recent actions across all three tools:

• Tool A: Product assessments created, SMART-WITS simulations run
• Tool B: Enabling environment surveys submitted with completion percentage
• Tool C: Stakeholder survey responses received, cluster assessments updated