Growing Intra-Africa Trade through Digital Transformation of Customs and Borders

A new report, developed collaboratively by Deloitte and the World Economic Forum, provides a pragmatic on the non-tariff barriers encountered with border and customs services that can be exponentially improved through digital transformation to increase intra-Africa trade. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation commenced on the 1st of January 2021 and has the potential to increase intra-African trade from its current 18 per cent of total trade to 50 per cent by 2030. Click to explore the African Continental Free Trade Area publication.

It also has the potential to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty—but achieving its full potential will depend on putting in place significant policy reforms and trade facilitation measures—read more from the Africa Renewal E-magazine.

There are several efforts being undertaken by the regional economic communities to build better trade networks—that are enabled by world class logistics networks that can withstand the type of supply chain shocks we have seen with the pandemic and recent geo-political tensions.

The paper highlights the insights from the Logistic Performance Index as well as key insights from case studies—demonstrating the value of digital reforms in various African countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda. The paper is a call to action for more integrated digital reforms that can drive higher impact through public and private partnership that sets the course for Africa’s post pandemic recovery and growth.