The African Union (AU) has endorsed Nigeria as the Digital Trade Champion for the continent under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) Digital Trade protocol.
The endorsement followed the impressive record of the Federal Government in promoting digital enterprise and innovation, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President.Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Monday.
“The 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which was concluded on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, recognised Nigeria’s proactive role in advancing the implementation of the digital trade protocol adopted in February 2024.
“The protocol features an agenda to develop eight annexes: rules of origin, digital identities, cross-border data transfers, legitimate and legal public interest reasons for disclosing source code, online safety and security, emerging and advanced technologies, and financial technology,” said the statement.
In his annual report on the progress of the AfCFTA’s digital trade protocol, Mahamadou Issoufou, former president of Niger Republic and AU AfCFTA champion, lauded Nigeria’s leadership for convening the Digital Economy Roundtable in January.
He noted that the gathering was pivotal in driving the digital trade agenda forward.
”No organisation, region, or continent has negotiated or adopted such a comprehensive legal instrument on digital trade, positioning the African continent to benefit from the digital economy for innovation and job creation,” Issoufou said.
The former Nigerien leader observed that young Africans were leaders in digital innovation, particularly in mobile banking and other digitally enabled services.
”The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade will establish a conducive environment for these young people to fully participate in Africa’s digital economy,” he added.
Reflecting on the Digital Economy Roundtable in Abuja, Issoufou commended the Tinubu-led administration for convening the event and inviting the AfCFTA Secretariat to participate.
”The roundtable was attended by young pioneers in Fintech, mobile banking and other areas of the digital economy.
”It was evident from the discussions that young people are eager to take advantage of Africa’s digital economy through the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade,” the former Niger president said in his progress report to the 38th Assembly.
Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, informed the summit that Africa had demonstrated global leadership by pioneering the first-of-its-kind AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade – establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework.
“The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol is a game changer in advancing Africa’s economic development.
“It is set to create millions of jobs for Africa’s growing, tech-savvy youth, contribute billions to the continent’s GDP and attract substantial investments for public digital infrastructure across African nations,” she said.
