Africa has the potential to build a prosperous and inclusive digital economy, securing its place as a global leader in innovation, resilience, and integration. This is the key message from the 1st AfCFTA Summit on Digital Trade, held in Zambia from May 8 to 10, 2025. The event brought together policymakers, business leaders, digital experts, and innovators under the theme “Boosting Digital Trade to Accelerate AfCFTA Implementation.”
Africa’s rapidly expanding digital economy has the potential to revive African economies by contributing to the integration effort sought by the African Union. During the first Forum on Digital Trade and Services under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) held in Zambia from May 8 to 10, 2025, leaders acknowledged that many challenges remain in fully realizing the potential of digital trade. Only 37% of Africans had internet access in 2024, with 28% of rural areas covered by broadband, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB). The adoption of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol marks a transformative step towards achieving the vision of an economically integrated Africa.
Some critics of the Digital Trade Protocol, even though it is the first of its kind in the world, argue that there is much to implement and that Africans are not used to executing their decisions. I can assure you that, with the support of our leaders and the backing of co-champions from Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, we are determined to ensure that this protocol is implemented not only from a legal perspective, which is of course important, but also to create opportunities to encourage innovation, ensuring that young entrepreneurs can trade at profitable rates.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of AfCFTA
According to a report by the Economic Commission for Africa, cross-border digital trade in Africa could reach USD 180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2% of the continent’s GDP, and increase to USD 712 billion by 2050, representing 8.2% of GDP. However, to achieve these figures, experts believe that it is crucial to implement a common legal framework that will enable the private sector to engage with governments.
It is absolutely unacceptable that we spend USD 5 billion to buy foreign currency in order to trade within Africa. What do the US dollar, the euro, or any other currency have to do with trade between two African countries? Absolutely nothing. Therefore, we must be very clear that we are not just implementing a protocol from a legal standpoint, but embarking on large-scale reforms that will ensure and strengthen the sovereignty, the economic sovereignty of our continent.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of AfCFTA
Adopted in February 2024 during the 38th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol has just integrated eight annexes, including texts related to intellectual property and the creative industries, thus completing the overall legal framework for intra-African digital trade.
Source : AFRICA24
