Protocol on Digital Trade to be finalised by June 2023 - AfCFTA Secretariat

The African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat has hinted that a protocol meant for digital trading activities will be finalised by June this year.

According to Roslyn Ngeno, who is a Senior Investment Expert at the Secretariat, the protocol on digital trade can help unlock the full potential of the free trade pact which can benefit African economies, enhance competitiveness and improve digital inclusion efforts.

“The protocol is envisioned to align our objectives to promote and facilitate trade among members countries under the AfCFTA. The implementation of the protocol will be achieved by establishing clear coherent, transparent, harmonised rules, common principles and old standards for digital trade in order to creating a fair, open, predictable, secure and trustworthy digital trade environment for businesses and consumers”

"We are pleased to report that the negotiations toward the development of the Protocol on Digital Trade have commenced with it expected to be finalized in June 2023.”

Roslyn Ngeno made this known when she read a speech on behalf of AfCFTA Secretary General, Wamkele Mene at the third edition of the Mobile Technology for Development Conference held in Accra.

She further pointed out the Secretariat remains keen to provide the requisite frameworks and protocols aimed at boosting the growth of dynamic industries in the digital era towards a successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“Under financial services, digitisation has revolutionized the sector, particularly the Retail Payments System and the potential it has to advance digital financial inclusion across the African continent is immeasurable,” Ms. Ngeno concluded.

Meanwhile, this year's edition of the Mobile Technology Development Conference was held on the theme ‘Driving digital financial inclusion in the real economy.”

The conference was attended by stakeholders in the telecom sector, policy and regulatory makers in government and private sector, banks, fintechs, payment service providers, electronic money issuers, Agritech companies, ICT service providers and Edutech companies among others.







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