The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat announced Tuesday that Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria will pilot a continental digital trade system designed to accelerate cross-border commerce across Africa.
The announcement, issued from the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, names the three countries as the first to operationalise the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade (ADAPT) initiative. Launched in November 2025, ADAPT establishes a shared digital foundation to enable trusted data exchange across the bloc’s 55 member states.
Selection followed a two stage process that assessed political commitment, legal alignment, digital public infrastructure capacity, private sector engagement and co financing readiness. The three pilots span East, North and West Africa, giving the secretariat geographic balance for testing the system at scale before any continental rollout.
Full implementation of the free trade area could lift intra African exports by more than 80% and generate up to $450 billion by 2035, according to AfCFTA projections. Secretary General Wamkele Mene said the initiative represents a strategic transformation rather than a technological upgrade, citing particular benefits for micro, small and medium enterprises owned by women and youth.
Implementation will focus initially on live cross border data exchange, digitising trade documentation at the source, and supporting faster, more secure transactions for businesses already engaged in intra African commerce. Country Implementation Forums in each pilot nation will integrate digital identity systems and payment rails while aligning national systems with continental interoperability standards.
ADAPT was developed in partnership with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, the IOTA Foundation, and the World Economic Forum (WEF). The platform also opens the door to new digital payment options for African enterprises, including future exploration of stablecoins for cross border settlement.
Chido Munyati, Head of Africa at the WEF, framed the launch as a turning point for the continental trade agenda. “ADAPT reflects this shift from ambition to execution,” he said.
Intra African trade currently remains constrained by paper based processes, fragmented customs systems, and limited interoperability, generating friction and unnecessary costs for traders. Lessons drawn from the three pilot countries will inform a phased expansion of the platform to additional African states over the coming years, with governance frameworks and regulatory approaches refined along the way.
