UNGA81: AfCFTA highlights digital trade protocol as framework for
Africa’s digital economy
By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The African Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Digital Trade is being positioned as a
continental framework for expanding Africa’s digital economy, supporting
emerging technologies and widening participation in digital trade.
Secretary-General of the
AfCFTA Secretariat, H.E. Wamkele Mene, highlighted the role of the protocol
during a fireside chat titled “One Continent, One Click: Creating Africa’s
Digital Trade Age” at Unstoppable Africa 2026 in New York.
The event was held on the
margins of the United Nations General Assembly and formed part of the Global
Africa Business Initiative (GABI), which seeks to position Africa as a
destination for business, trade and investment within the global economy.
During the discussion, Mene
emphasised the importance of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade in providing
a continental framework for the growth of Africa’s digital economy.
He said the framework can
support the development and adoption of emerging technologies while creating
opportunities for wider participation in the digital economy.
Young people and small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were identified among the groups that can
benefit from greater participation in Africa’s expanding digital trade
ecosystem.
The discussions at
Unstoppable Africa 2026 form part of broader efforts to advance Africa’s
digital transformation and strengthen the continent’s position in global trade
and investment through greater digital integration.
