A protocol for digital trade in Africa will be launched in July as part of the African Continental Free Trade Area. This platform will create a virtual single market to boost intra-African trade.
Relying on digital technology to accelerate intra-African trade. This is the wish of those in charge of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). An e-commerce protocol will be implemented from next July, to stimulate trade between African countries. This was revealed by AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene on Tuesday June 13, at the opening plenary of the Bloomberg New Economy Gateway Africa conference, organized in Marrakech by the American agency Bloomberg in partnership with the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency (AMDIE).
This prestigious event, held for the first time in Africa, brings together 200 international experts to discuss economic and geopolitical issues.
According to Mr. Mene, this platform will boost continental trade, which accounts for just 2% of world trade. It will also digitize and harmonize customs procedures, which establish one of the major obstacles to the development of intra-African trade flows. “
Africa has a GDP of $3.5 billion. The development of digital payments, combined with economies of scale, will make it possible to exceed this level”, he asserted.