Ghana is prepared to test a continental digital commerce framework that will increase cross-border digital transactions and promote sustainable development throughout Africa, Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang said on Wednesday.
She explained that the program, which is in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), would enable scalable and interconnected platforms for trade around the continent while bolstering Africa’s digital sovereignty.
The statement was made by the Vice President during the opening of the 2026 3i Africa Summit in Accra, which was attended by development partners, central bank governors, finance and trade ministries, and leaders in technology.
“Ghana will work with Rwanda, Zambia and other partners to pilot a continental digital trade corridor,” she stated, emphasising that Africa’s current systems will determine its place in the world’s digital economy.
She stated that mobile money interoperability, mutual recognition frameworks, cross-border digital identification and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, and standardised electronic invoicing will be the main areas of focus for the pilot’s implementation, testing, and evaluation.
According to Vice President Opoku-Agyemang, the framework would be incorporated into the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) and backed by a regulatory sandbox that would enable member nations of the AfCFTA to take part without necessitating a complete legislative rewrite.
In order to overcome long-standing structural obstacles to intra-African trade, she established the four main pillars of the trade corridor: money, identification, regulation, and infrastructure.
The Vice President underlined that although political independence had been attained in a large portion of Africa, economic autonomy was still necessary for true independence.
“Economic sovereignty in the twenty-first century is inseparable from digital sovereignty,” she said.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang emphasised the importance of Ghana’s national identity system, pointing out that the Ghana Card has been progressively incorporated into public and financial institutions, offering a solid basis for the growth of digital trade and cross-border KYC systems.
In terms of regulations, she advocated for uniform and compatible standards so that products certified in one nation may be easily accepted in other nations, such as Senegal, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The Vice President warned that fragmented regulatory systems raised the cost of doing business and disproportionately impacted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the backbone of trade on the continent, and urged African nations to commit to the digital trade agenda with discipline.
In order to boost technology adoption and propel the next stage of global digital growth, she urged stakeholders to take advantage of Africa’s youthful population.
“Whether this becomes a true continental transformation will depend on the political will, private investment and institutional discipline that countries bring to the table,” she continued.
Source: newsthemegh.com