Digital trade to rescue Africa’s low 16% intra-continental commerce, says Tinubu

Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s President, has urged African nations to increase intra-continental trade, describing the current rate of 16% as unacceptably low. He stated that Nigeria is actively strengthening its domestic policies to boost commerce with other African countries.

President Tinubu made the remarks while welcoming African policymakers, innovators, investors, and private sector leaders to Lagos for the AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum 2026. The two-day event, running from 1 July to 2 July 2026, centres on the theme “Digital Trade for a Connected African Market”.

The forum convenes regional leaders to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol and expand regional e-commerce. President Tinubu declared that Africa must move from aspiration to execution, transitioning from paper agreements to tangible economic prosperity for its people.

Metrics and technological integration

Intra-African trade is currently estimated at $213.8bn, representing a 5.47% increase year-on-year. Despite steady improvement under the AfCFTA framework, continental exchange hovers around 16% of Africa’s total global commerce, lagging significantly behind trade integration levels seen in Europe and Asia.

To bridge this gap, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco are piloting the AfCFTA’s ADAPT framework. President Tinubu noted that this initiative marks a transition from policy to practice by connecting national trade systems across the continent. Driven by a continent-wide push to localise supply chains, Nigeria’s local contribution to intra-African trade surged by 21% to reach $9.02bn in 2026.

Modernising trade infrastructure

As a designated digital trade champion, Nigeria is implementing institutional reforms to ease cross-border trade. Through the National Single Window initiative, the federal government is building a faster, simpler, and more transparent trading system.

This infrastructure aims to reduce delays, lower compliance costs, and support manufacturers and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

Simultaneously, the Nigeria Customs Service is modernising its administration through the B’Odogwu platform. The project is designed to enhance revenue assurance, improve cargo clearance, and reduce friction at national borders. These reforms align with a broader digital public infrastructure agenda encompassing digital identity, interoperable payments, and robust data governance.

President Tinubu emphasised that while the AfCFTA provides the market, digital trade supplies the necessary speed, scale, and reach. He concluded that the future of African commerce is digital and connected, though the continent must urgently address infrastructure deficits to improve manufacturing capabilities and expand global trade volumes.