This study explores public sentiment in relation to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) by analysing 18,481 tweets mentioning ACFTA over a three-month period. The findings highlight the dominance of actors outside the African continent in the public discourse on ACFTA thus indicating the importance of the African diaspora and foreign interests in framing the debate and influencing public opinion on the continent. They also highlight the salient issues in the public debate on ACFTA to include its potential effects on national economies and jobs as well as the potential for its exploitation by foreign interests. The study also points at a disconnect between governments and politicians promoting ACFTA on the one hand and the average citizen in Africa on the other as it shows a general negative sentiment in all regions and age groups, and more particularly in West Africa and amongst males towards ACFTA.

本研究通过分析三个月内提及 ACFTA 的 18,481 条推文，探讨了与非洲大陆自由贸易协定 (ACFTA) 相关的公众情绪。调查结果突出了非洲大陆以外的参与者在 ACFTA 公共话语中的主导地位，从而表明非洲侨民和外国利益在制定辩论和影响非洲大陆公众舆论方面的重要性。他们还强调了关于 ACFTA 的公开辩论中的突出问题，包括其对国民经济和就业的潜在影响以及外国利益对其进行剥削的可能性。该研究还指出，一方面推动 ACFTA 的政府和政治家与另一方面的非洲普通公民之间存在脱节，因为它显示出所有地区和年龄组的普遍负面情绪，