Keypoints:
- Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria chosen as ADAPT pilot countries
- Initiative aims to digitise and simplify African trade systems
- AfCFTA says digital infrastructure could boost regional exports
THE African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has selected Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria as the first countries to spearhead the rollout of the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade (ADAPT) initiative, a major step toward building a digitally connected continental market.
The initiative is expected to help unlock billions of dollars in intra-African commerce by reducing border delays, paperwork bottlenecks and fragmented payment systems that continue to slow trade across the continent.
The AfCFTA Secretariat announced that the three countries emerged from a competitive selection process assessing political commitment, legal readiness, digital infrastructure, institutional capacity and private sector engagement.
Launched in November 2025, ADAPT is designed to create interoperable digital trade systems across Africa, helping businesses move goods, payments and data more efficiently across borders while advancing the AfCFTA’s vision of a single African market.
Digital trade at the centre of AfCFTA agenda
According to the AfCFTA Secretariat, ADAPT will support the development of a continent-wide digital backbone aimed at reducing trade friction and accelerating regional economic integration.
The initiative builds on earlier efforts by the AfCFTA Secretariat to create interoperable digital trade systems across the continent, following the launch of the ADAPT digital trade backbone in 2025.
The Secretariat said current cross-border trade systems across Africa remain heavily dependent on paper documentation and fragmented national platforms, creating delays, additional costs and inefficiencies for businesses.
Under ADAPT, participating countries will integrate digital identity systems, payment platforms and data-sharing tools into a harmonised continental framework.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said the initiative could play a transformative role in unlocking the economic potential of the trade bloc.
‘The full implementation of the AfCFTA could boost intra-African exports by over 80 percent and generate up to $450bn by 2035,’ Mene said in a statement released by the AfCFTA Secretariat.
He added that digital public infrastructure covering identity systems, payments and data exchange would help reduce trade costs, improve market access and strengthen competitiveness across African economies.
Focus on SMEs, women and youth
Mene said ADAPT was intended not only as a technology project but also as an economic inclusion strategy targeting smaller businesses, women entrepreneurs and young innovators.
According to the AfCFTA Secretariat, interoperable digital systems could allow micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to participate more effectively in regional and global value chains.
The initiative is also expected to improve the speed and security of cross-border transactions while supporting future digital payment innovations, including digital currencies such as stablecoins.
ADAPT was developed by the AfCFTA Secretariat in collaboration with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, IOTA Foundation and the World Economic Forum.
Analysts and financial institutions have increasingly argued that digital infrastructure will determine the success of the continental free trade area, a concern highlighted during discussions at Davos earlier this year, where Afreximbank warned Africa’s trade integration could stall without interoperable systems.
The initiative also aligns with broader continental efforts under the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, which seeks to harmonise rules governing e-commerce, payments and cross-border digital transactions.
Pilot countries to test frameworks
Implementation activities in Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria will now move into operational phases involving the establishment of national ADAPT Country Implementation Forums.
The AfCFTA Secretariat said early implementation efforts would focus on live cross-border data exchange, digitised trade documentation and interoperable payment systems.
The three pilot countries are also expected to help shape governance frameworks and test emerging regulatory approaches linked to digital trade and future digital currencies.
Dominik Schiener, co-founder and chair of the IOTA Foundation, said Africa had an opportunity to bypass outdated trade systems and move directly toward integrated digital infrastructure.
‘ADAPT is not only digitising processes, but it is also creating a shared, interoperable foundation where trade data can be trusted, verified, and exchanged securely across borders,’ Schiener said.
The AfCFTA Secretariat said lessons from the three pilot countries would guide a phased expansion of ADAPT across additional African states in the coming years.
Recent discussions among AfCFTA member states in Nairobi also focused on accelerating digital trade integration and interoperability standards across the continent, according to the AfCFTA Committee on Digital Trade.
Push for a connected African market
Frank Matsaert of the Tony Blair Institute said the programme represented a shift from policy ambition toward practical implementation under the AfCFTA framework.
Meanwhile, Chido Munyati said stronger cooperation between governments and the private sector would be essential to removing long-standing barriers to African trade integration.
The AfCFTA Secretariat said ADAPT would ultimately support the long-term vision of a fully integrated African market where goods, payments, identities and trade data can move seamlessly across borders.
The initiative follows wider efforts by the AfCFTA Secretariat to deepen fintech adoption and digital payment connectivity across the continent, including milestones highlighted during the Africa Fintech Summit 2025.
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