Omanghana
The agreement was signed in Accra following a series of preliminary negotiations formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2026.
The project has also secured sovereign backing from the government of Seychelles following Cabinet approval in July 2026. Seychelles will provide sovereign support for the venture and host its administrative headquarters in Victoria.
The Digital Trade Corridor will be designed as a continent-wide technology infrastructure connecting African businesses, consumers, financial institutions, logistics operators and regulatory bodies.
Its development will focus on four central pillars: a unified digital marketplace, interoperable cross-border payment systems, an African minerals and commodities exchange, and digital logistics and trade facilitation tools.
The proposed marketplace will connect businesses, suppliers and consumers across all 55 African countries. It will support both business-to-business and business-to-consumer transactions, allowing companies to reach customers and trading partners beyond their domestic markets.
The platform is expected to give African enterprises, including smaller businesses, greater visibility while reducing some of the geographical and administrative barriers that have historically limited trade between countries.
Another key component of the corridor will be the development of real-time cross-border payment and settlement infrastructure.
The system is expected to reduce complications associated with currency conversion, shorten settlement periods and lower the cost of conducting transactions across national borders.
It will complement existing continental payment frameworks as African countries work to make cross-border transactions faster, more affordable and accessible.
The project will also establish an African Minerals and Commodities Exchange to improve the trading of extractive and agricultural products.
The digital exchange will support certified grading, transparent pricing, electronic settlement and supply-chain tracking. These measures are intended to promote accountability and ensure that African producers and governments receive better value from minerals and commodities traded across the continent.
Logistics and regulatory compliance tools will form the fourth pillar of the initiative.
The system will provide end-to-end tracking of goods while helping traders comply with customs, documentation and other cross-border requirements.
Particular attention will be given to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, women-led businesses and young entrepreneurs, who often encounter significant financial and administrative difficulties when moving goods across African borders.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said the project would support the implementation of the agreement’s Protocol on Digital Trade and provide essential infrastructure for deeper economic integration.
“Trade is the engine of Africa’s prosperity, and digital infrastructure is the track on which that engine must run,” he stated.
Quest Ghana Executive Chairman Philip Gamey described the initiative as a potential catalyst for continental economic integration.
He said the corridor could unlock new commercial opportunities within Africa’s single market, which represents approximately 1.4 billion people and a combined gross domestic product estimated at $3.4 trillion.
The project is intended to help increase annual intra-African trade from an estimated $200 billion to at least $500 billion.
By integrating digital marketplaces, payment networks, commodity trading and logistics systems, the partners expect the corridor to make it easier for African businesses to trade with one another and participate in regional supply chains.
The initiative also forms part of wider efforts to translate the AfCFTA’s trade commitments into practical systems that can be used by businesses, consumers and governments across the continent.
Source: Omanghana
