Old Habits Are Hard to Break, says a famous proverb. Despite the recent launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the numerous Free Trade Areas and Customs Unions that promote the free circulation of goods in the various regions of Africa and in the continent, trends to erect walls to trade remain high in Africa. Economic nationalism, the tendency to prioritize national interests by protecting local industries from external competition, seems to be still at the core of African policies.