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Welcome to the Monitor Daily. Today's lineup includes a new legal challenge to 鈥淥bamacare,鈥� the view from inside an abortion clinic, the quandary of immigration in a depopulating Japan, empowerment in Kenya, and a model of hope in the opioid crisis.

But first, at a time when a lot of the news in global economics is about and risks of trade war, here鈥檚 something completely different. It鈥檚 about Africa coming together 鈥� and it鈥檚 about the relevance of open trade as a lever of progress, even when globalization has .听

This week marks the formal launch of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which ultimately promises a free-trade zone for 1.2 billion people in more than 50 nations. Already, it represents transformed attitudes for many countries.听

鈥淲e are creating a new Africa. The Africa of dependence, we are putting it behind us.鈥� That鈥檚 by Albert Muchanga, African Union commissioner for the Department of Trade and Industry.

African nations currently have a very low rate of trade with one another. Most exports remain raw materials like oil and minerals.听Freer trade won鈥檛 be a panacea for development challenges that range from poor infrastructure to corruption. But a key holdout nation, Nigeria, has signed on alongside smaller nations in the hope of developing the continent both from within and through external trade.

鈥淲hen you do agro-processing Africa is going to transform itself from a net importer of food to a net exporter of food,鈥� Mr. Muchanga predicts. He says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a cultural mindset that this is impossible. Nelson Mandela said, 鈥業t seems impossible until it鈥檚 done.鈥欌��

Also, before today鈥檚 stories, a quick promo: The Monitor is following the sex-trafficking allegations against multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, and the pressure on Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to resign over his handling of those allegations in his past career as a U.S. attorney. Stay tuned for our coverage.