Ecofin Agency, 11 May 2026
by Samira Njoya
Ghana plans pilot digital trade corridor to support AfCFTA
Ghana's Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang announced plans to launch a pilot continental digital trade corridor aimed at facilitating cross-border transactions and supporting the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She made the announcement on Wednesday, May 6, at the opening of the 3i Africa Summit 2026, a conference focused on financial technology and the future of Africa's digital economy.
The initiative will be carried out in partnership with several African countries, including Rwanda and Zambia. The project aims to test mechanisms designed to streamline digital trade across the continent. Measures under consideration include mobile money interoperability, mutual recognition of digital IDs for Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, and the alignment of e-invoicing systems among participating countries.
Ghanaian authorities said the digital corridor should help reduce the costs and delays that continue to hamper intra-African trade. Many African transactions are still processed through financial systems outside the continent, generating additional fees and longer settlement times. The project also seeks to strengthen the use of homegrown African solutions such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), which is designed to facilitate direct payments in local currencies between African countries.
Significant obstacles remain to deeper digital integration of African trade. Regulatory fragmentation between states, limited interoperability among financial systems, insufficient cloud infrastructure and connectivity, and the lack of harmonized frameworks for data management and digital identity continue to constrain market growth. Data sovereignty and user protection were also cited among the major issues raised at the summit.
The initiative comes amid rapid growth in e-commerce and digital payments across the continent, driven partly by the rise of mobile payments and improved connectivity. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African cross-border digital trade could reach $180 billion in 2025, equivalent to 5.2% of GDP, before climbing to $712 billion by 2050, or 8.2% of GDP.
