For the AfCFTA to realize its aims and objectives of setting Africa on the path of shared socio-economic prosperity, the economy must run on an indigenous machinery of a home-grown medium of exchange.
The increasing cost of capital in Africa, exceeding levels observed in other regions, the lack of reliable information and data which is essential for investors to make informed decisions, collectively represent major impediments to new investments in Africa and the continent’s appeal to foreign investors.
The adoption of cryptocurrencies holds significant potential in strengthening intra-African trade and fostering economic growth. However, crucial concerns on regulation must be duly addressed to unlock the immense economic opportunities and sustainable development across the continent.
Entrepreneur, ecological organic agriculture practitioner and sustainability advocate Nandi Mkwanazi let DevDispatch Contributor Beru Lilako into her world to speak all things about climate change, food security and the AfCFTA. Nandi is also the Southern African Development Community chairperson of the Afrikan Youth Business Council.
Regional trade integration could become the vehicle for economies on the continent to transition to higher growth and job creation in a changing global environment. In particular, it can help to make countries more resilient to climate change and risks of geopolitical fragmentation.
This month, our blogger Beru Lilako interviewed Alastair Tempest, a digital trade and E-commerce expert who leads the Ecommerce Forum of Africa and its national chapter, the E-commerce Forum of South Africa. He shared his insights on the ongoing protocol negotiations, the opportunities and challenges of E-commerce integration, and the lessons that Africa can learn from the European Union in light of the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-30)
Imagine a continent where value chains thrive, people can trade freely across borders, businesses can access new markets and opportunities, where farmers can earn significant income from their produce, consumers can enjoy a variety of high-quality goods and services, and where poverty, unemployment and inequality are reduced. This is the AfCFTA’s promise to spearhead economic transformation in Africa.
In this special interview, Adebayo Abubakar speaks with customs and trade expert Ms. Veronica Maoresa Zuze. She bares her mind on what Africa needs to do to ease most, if not all, of the customs-related barriers to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Africa may still have to live with carbon energy as part of the energy mix in the continent, until such a time when green energy will have taken a firm root on the continent.
Adebayo Abubakar caught up with South African author and publisher Nomawele Njongo to bare her mind on how upbeat she is about the AfCFTA’s prospects.