Young people are critical to the acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. With a youthful demographic advantage of about 60%, young people must be at the forefront of policies to realise the benefits of free trade across the continent. DevDispatch contributor Oluwatobi Ojo spoke with Tanaka A Ndongera, Director of Zimbabwe Youth Champion for Agenda 2063  (ZYCA2063) on the role of young people in the implementation of the AfCFTA, and the pilot transaction on the Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).

Enjoy this insightful conversation!

Oluwatobi Ojo: Can you please introduce yourself

Tanaka A Ndongera: My name is Tanaka A Ndongera. I am the Director of Zimbabwe Youth Champions for Agenda 2063, AfCFTA Country Champion for Zimbabwe and an advocate for Agenda 2063. I am also a Regional Trade Expert and Analyst. 

Oluwatobi Ojo: How are you and your organisation contributing to the success of the AfCFTA?

Tanaka A Ndongera: For me and my organisation, we have been contributing through information dissemination and public awareness campaigns of the AfCFTA implementation process through radio, social media and also going into schools to discuss the agreement and progress made so far. We have also been attending consultative meetings on the AfCFTA and sharing our thoughts and inputs on the Protocol on Youth and Women. Additionally, we have been involved in training youth and women on export readiness under the AfCFTA. 

Oluwatobi Ojo: Africa has a youthful demographic advantage. Do you think young people are critical to the success of the agreement?

Tanaka A Ndongera: Indeed youth are very critical to the success of the Agreement because of their involvement in informal trade, and the establishment of many small and medium enterprises which contribute a lot to the GDP of many African Countries, more so, at a time when we are faced with the Fourth Industrial Revolution including Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and digital technology. Young people present Africa with these skills to make sure the Agreement is a success. We say if Africa didn’t benefit from the First Industrial Revolution, it must now benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Oluwatobi Ojo: How can governments of member states encourage young people to actively partake in the agreement?

Tanaka A Ndongera:I think it is key that governments create a welcoming and conducive environment which makes young people encouraged to partake in the Agreement and this can be achieved through the organising of training and capacity building  workshops. Mainstreaming the AfCFTA and Agenda 2063 with the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education curriculum also makes the Agreement a cross-cutting issue since youth are a homogeneous group with different needs and specifications. 

Oluwatobi Ojo: Away from the role of young people, what’s your reaction to the first transaction on the PAPSS by the GCB Bank Plc

Tanaka A Ndongera: It is a great milestone for Africa indeed to have successfully completed the first Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) client transaction in Ghana on the 3rd of March 2023 by GCB and gives me joy that it first happened in Ghana which has a lot of historical significance to us as Africa, it being the first country to gain Independence under the Late Kwame Nkrumah’s presidency and it also being the country which houses the AfCFTA Secretariat. I feel happy to witness such a great thing happening. It also comes at a time when the African Union has declared the Year 2023 as the Year of Accelerating AfCFTA Implementation and it gives hope that we are in the right direction as a continent. 

Oluwatobi Ojo: Do you think the success of the pilot transaction will spur an increase in the use of the PAPSS?

Tanaka A Ndongera: Absolutely. The success of the pilot transaction will spur an increase in the use of the PAPSS because even before the pilot transaction was done a lot of people were asking how they could start transactions using PAPSS and history tells that the first step to succeed is just by starting and for this, I am sure that many people across African countries are already waiting to transact through the PAPSS. For a very long time, we have been transacting using other methods and services that are not from Africa and the PAPSS has presented us with an opportunity to make the statement- “African solutions to African problems,” a reality. 

Oluwatobi Ojo: What do you think will be the challenges encountered in the adoption of PAPSS? 

Tanaka A Ndongera: Major challenges that can be encountered in this regard include the knowledge and information gap around use of the PAPSS, and trust is another issue. But it will take an appreciation of the value that PAPSS is bringing to the table in terms of speed, low cost and the guarantee of receipt of funds by the commercial banks to earn the continent’s buy in at large.

Oluwatobi Ojo: Any parting words?

Tanaka A Ndongera: We have been a blessed generation as youths to see Agenda 2063 taking shape and witnessing the AfCFTA becoming a reality. For that reason, let us play our part in making sure that we can attain “The Africa We Want,” which is an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa.

Oluwatobi Ojo is a Nigerian writer. You can reach him via email, oluwatobimojo@gmail.com