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The African Union (AU) has reportedly endorsed Nigeria as the Digital Trade Champion for the continent under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol.
This recognition followed Nigeria’s efforts in promoting digital enterprise and innovation, as reported by Nairametrics and reviewed by Zambia Monitor on Thursday.
At the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, recently concluded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nigeria’s proactive role in implementing the Digital Trade Protocol, adopted in February 2024, was acknowledged.
A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, highlighted that the protocol aims to develop eight annexes covering areas such as rules of origin, digital identities, cross-border data transfers, legitimate public interest disclosures of source code, online safety and security, emerging and advanced technologies, and financial technology.
In his annual report on AfCFTA’s Digital Trade Protocol, former Nigerien President and AU AfCFTA Champion Mahamadou Issoufou praised Nigeria’s leadership in hosting the Digital Economy Roundtable in January, which played a key role in advancing Africa’s digital trade agenda.
He noted that no organization, region, or continent had previously negotiated or adopted such a comprehensive legal instrument on digital trade, positioning Africa to benefit from the digital economy through innovation and job creation.
Issoufou also emphasized that young Africans, particularly those engaged in mobile banking and digital services, are at the forefront of digital innovation.
He stated that the AfCFTA protocol would create an enabling environment for them to fully participate in Africa’s digital economy.
On Nigeria’s designation, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government had officially named Nigeria as the AfCFTA Digital Trade Champion.
She described the protocol as a game-changer in Africa’s economic development, predicting that it would create millions of jobs for Africa’s tech-savvy youth, contribute billions of dollars to the continent’s GDP, and attract substantial investments for public digital infrastructure across African nations.
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