AfCFTA focuses on digital infrastructure and private sector growth

Efforts to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are shifting focus toward deepening private sector participation and developing digital trade infrastructure to create a unified market.

During a WTO Aid-for-Trade meeting, leaders from the African Development Bank, UNIDO, and the International Trade Centre emphasized that the success of the AfCFTA depends on empowering businesses with skills, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, and enhancing market connections through e-commerce.

To address existing barriers such as fragmented payment systems and complex documentation, the AfCFTA Secretariat and the ADI Foundation have partnered to develop African-owned digital infrastructure. This initiative aims to streamline commercial identification and the exchange of trade documents. The partnership anticipates that these digital improvements could reduce cross-border payment settlement costs by as much as 90 per cent. Pilot projects for these digital systems are expected to launch along selected trade corridors toward the end of 2026, specifically targeting the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.