Why Africa needs digital infrastructure for trade to thrive Africa’s dream of a truly borderless market will not be built on policy alone—it will stand or fall on the strength of its digital infrastructure. Jeremy Awori, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, argues that from cloud-powered payments to interoperable banking systems, the future of intra-African trade depends on seamless, secure, and inclusive financial rails that empower SMEs, farmers, and entrepreneurs across all 54 markets.

By Jeremy Awori Across Africa, there is growing momentum in support of intra-African trade, as work to unlock the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as key drivers of the continent’s economic transformation gains traction accross Africa, there is growing momentum in support of intra-African trade, as work to unlock the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as key drivers of the continent’s economic transformation gains traction. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is poised to become the world’s largest single market by population, and with SMEs already accounting for more than 80% of employment in Africa,…