Le numérique au service de la ZLECAf – Le Jeune Indépendant

The African continental free trade area (ZLECAF) aims to transform intra-African trade. In order for this vision to come true, digital technology is a central lever. Solutions must be found in limited funding, expensive cross -border payments and lack of confidence between partners. Banks and financial institutions are increasing digital initiatives to fill these shortcomings and bring out a real continental market.

On the occasion of an organized panel, this Tuesday, on the sidelines of the intra-African trade fair (IATF 2025) in Safex (Algiers), entrepreneurs and banking managers shared their experiences and underlined the challenges, but also the solutions that are emerging to build an African market without borders.

Financial institutions are positioned in key players in this digital transformation. For Emeka Onyi, Director of Digital at AFREXIMBANK: “SMEs and TPME are the spine of Africa. But so that they can trade beyond borders, we must provide them with suitable solutions. »»

The difficulties are well known, this is a lack of confidence between business partners, slow and expensive money transfers, limited or unreliable information on the markets, and especially a funding deficit evaluated between 8 and 110 billion dollars across the continent, according to the speaker.

To meet these needs, Afreximbank has set up the African Trade Gateway (ATG), a digital ecosystem that facilitates payments, provides information on market access and regulations, and strengthens confidence between companies. The bank works closely with the ZLECAF, the African Union and other partners to make these tools accessible to SMEs, said the speaker.

The example of Ecobank

Same story on the side of Ecobank. Souleymano Diagne, Director of Funding for the Group’s trade, praised the ZLECAF digital trade protocol, which he considers a major advance. Created 40 years ago to promote regional integration, Ecobank is now present in 33 African countries. Its flagship initiative is the Trade Hub, a digital platform launched two years ago. It aims to reduce information asymmetries between continents on the continent and facilitate exchanges, said Souleymano Diagne.

Concretely, he explained, a Dakar merchant can connect to a partner of Nairobi or Mombasa to conclude a transaction. Thanks to its presence in many countries and its participation in local compensation systems, “Ecobank is able to offer instant and affordable payments, without going through foreign currencies”, assured Diagne. “This is a way to reduce the cost of expansion to new markets,” he added.

The Pan -African payment system as a solution

In terms of payments, a recent innovation particularly draws attention: the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PADS), launched in 2022 with Afreximbank and the Zlecaf. This system meets three major challenges of cross -border trade, namely slowness, cost and lack of confidence, said the speakers. They highlighted that the PADS makes it possible to carry out transactions in less than two minutes, at low cost, while integrating strict standards of compliance and governance.

Now adopted by 18 countries, including Algeria, PADS opens up small local businesses a potential market of 1.4 billion consumers. “Rather than targeting only 200 million Nigerians or a few hundred thousand national customers, an SME can now think of continental,” said Miko Ogubalu, Director of Information Systems, Pan -African Payment and Rules (PADS).

Inclusion, youth and new forms of capital

But beyond technical tools, the future of African digital trade also depends on the policies implemented. Michelle Chivunga, general manager of Global Policy House, insisted on the importance of encouraging new forms of capital, such as digital currencies.

It pleads for a reduction in the dependence of the continent to foreign currencies, which slows down digital exchanges. It also recalls that policies must be inclusive: “Africa is mainly made up of women, young people and SMEs. If we do not support these categories, we do not do any service to Africa. »»

According to her, it is urgent to invest in the skills of young Africans to make them real negotiators capable of defending the interests of the continent, especially within the framework of the ZLECAF. “We must prioritize Zlecaf, implement its digital protocol and give its place to Africa in the fourth industrial revolution,” she concludes.

With the gradual implementation of ZLECAF, these initiatives, whether innovative banking solutions, pan -African payment systems or inclusive policies, draw the contours of a more integrated and more competitive African market. Digital appears as the essential tool to transform the promises of a united Africa into tangible economic reality.

For Farah Bouras, founder and manager of Think Touch Solutions, the challenges remain considerable for private actors. She expressed her own experience, saying that she had confronted many obstacles. Among them, the weakness of cross -border payment solutions, the inconsistency of digital infrastructure on the African market and legal voids which complicate the implementation of the ZLECAF. These brakes, she underlined, slow down access to markets and complicate the expansion of digital services at the continent.