Business
Digital Trade is the Next Big Thing in Africa By Kingsley Ighobor
MR. KINGSLEY IGHOBOR OF Africa Renewal (AR) interviewed Mr. Wamkele Mene, the recently appointed Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA). Mr. Mene explains the way forward, how increased intra-African trade can boost economies post-COVID-19 and how digital trade will be next big thing on the continent. AR: You have said that digital trade is the next big thing in Africa Mene: Digital trade is possible through mobile phones. We know, for example, from the experiences of various countries across the African continent, that you can access distant markets using your mobile phone. So, the digital platforms are
already there. We also know that Africa has one of the fastest-growing penetrations of mobile subscribers. It is a question of leveraging all those technological innovations and advantages into a common platform for free trade in Africa, under the AfCFTA agreement. In nations where women are most active and
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contribute significantly to the economy there are examples of women who use digital solutions in informal trade. We seek to establish the requisite regulatory environment and architecture, through laws and digital platforms. The other area that is very important is customs authorities. We need to find a way to digitize our customs capabilities such that they are seamless across the continent. It is going to take quite a lot of work, but I believe it’s possible. . AR: Do you have any plans to capture the imaginations of young people, to bring them on board? Mene: We are going to create a platform to engage young Africans, women in trade and smalland medium-sized enterprises in a dialogue to put this vision into practice. We don’t have all the answers. We want to hear from young Africans. We know that if you go to Kigali, you will find young African software engineers at the forefront of innovation. These are the people that we want to bring into the fold of the agreement. We can create the appropriate environment for young Africans to benefit. Our rule will be to establish the conducive environment for young Africans to leverage their ideas. This is especially important. We don’t have the answers to innovation, but we can create and establish regulatory frameworks within the context of the AfCFTA. AR: How do you encourage countries to raise awareness among young people? Mene: It’s going to be a joint effort between the Secretariat and individual countries. We take advocacy and awareness-raising seriously. The basic iterate of the agreement is only one month old, but we are already recruiting the best and the brightest Africans to ensure that we reach our mandate. We are going to engage each of the five DAWN
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