The Digital Economy and E-commerce in Africa – Drivers for the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)?
The digital economy and e-commerce are developing fast in Africa. The forthcoming implementation of the African free trade area (AfCFTA) will encourage intra-African trade. These two forces combined, offer a new inclusive future for Africa. E-commerce is growing throughout Africa, but is mainly nationally focused at present. The AfCFTA will change that dynamic, and encourage greater emphasis on cross-border online sales throughout Africa. The AfCFTA, once implemented, provides an enormous single market with attractive economies of scale which will stimulate industrial growth and the digital economy within the Continent. In order to allow the digital economy to work optimally, the AfCFTA negotiations must address existing challenges to the growth of cross-border ecommerce.
