The continent's trade volumes are climbing. Its production structures are not. That distinction will define Africa's economic future.
By Ziad Hamoui Multilateral Development Banks now account for more than half of Africa’s net financial flows – a 124 percent increase that is fueling one...
The continent's visa regime is not a footnote to its economic ambitions - it is a direct contradiction of them.
By John Kourkoutas Everyone, it seems, is talking about China’s ports in Africa. Policymakers, investors, and analysts have spent years debating Beijing’s coastal ambitions – the...
By Des H Rikhotso A bold infrastructure push promises to compress travel times, unlock regional trade, and redefine what connectivity means for a continent long underserved...
By Ziad Hamoui Building roads is the easy part. The real obstacle to regional trade lies in the invisible infrastructure that no construction crew can fix....
By Danilo Desiderio The proposition that Africa’s single market will collapse without a supranational court is simultaneously persuasive and fundamentally flawed. Persuasive, because it accurately diagnoses...
By Ziad Hamoui The African Export-Import Bank’s recent decision to sever ties with Fitch Ratings signals more than a routine disagreement over financial assessment. It exposes...
By Ziad Hamoui When a Nigerian general recently floated the idea of fencing the country’s borders to combat terrorism, the response was swift and unforgiving. Colleagues...
By Lance Chisue A striking pattern is emerging across Africa’s economic landscape. After decades of fragmented markets and externally oriented trade, the continent is finally turning...
By Dr. Princess C. Mutisya The “wet ink” era of global trade is entering its twilight. What began as a pilot program linking Shanghai and Singapore...
By Ziad Hamoui When more than 60 percent of cross-border trade deliberately avoids official channels, something has gone profoundly wrong with our customs systems. Ghana’s first-ever...
By Michele Moscaritoli Intra-African commerce has quietly transformed from aspiration to reality – and the implications are profound. For decades, the refrain echoed through development conferences...
By Ziad Hamoui Every year, somewhere between US$10 billion and US$24 billion worth of goods crosses African borders in what the United Nations Economic Commission for...
By Danilo Desiderio On January 2nd, heavy weapons fire shattered the uneasy calm at Nadapal, a remote border post between Kenya and South Sudan. Clashes between...
By Ziad Hamoui Official trade statistics capture barely a sixth of West Africa’s actual regional food trade. This massive data gap is undermining food security and...
By Ziad Hamoui 2025 will be remembered as the year West African trade infrastructure graduated from PowerPoint presentations to bulldozers and rail tracks. After decades of...
By Kelly Mua Kingsly Africa proclaims the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the world’s largest free-trade zone, spanning 1.4 billion people across 54 countries...
By Dr. Princess C. Mutisya Africa stands at a pivotal crossroads. The dream of a truly integrated continent – bound by one passport, one customs regime,...
By Dr. Princess C. Mutisya Every time a Kenyan exporter ships goods to Uganda and pays US$20 in foreign-exchange fees to settle the transaction, it’s not...
By Danilo Desiderio In many African economies, a familiar proverb echoes through bustling markets and border towns: “When the lion does not hunt, the hyena will...
By Des H Rikhotso For too long, many African entrepreneurs have viewed their domestic markets as the ceiling – not the launchpad – for growth. While...
By Ziad Hamoui In Accra last week, the ECOWAS Commission launched the US$10 million West Africa Livestock Marketing Support Programme (PACBAO-2) – a bold, long-term initiative...
By Danilo Desiderio “To draw legs on a snake” – a Chinese proverb warning against unnecessary embellishment – is more than a cautionary tale about overdesign....
By Ziad Hamoui In a landmark move for regional integration, the African Union Commission (AUC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, and the...
By Dishant Shah Trade blocs often sound like the ultimate solution to regional prosperity. On paper, they promise unified markets, stronger negotiating power, streamlined supply chains,...
By Danilo Desiderio Africa’s vast landscapes and growing economies demand robust, efficient transport networks – yet one of the most promising tools in this logistical arsenal...
By Michael Sudarkasa Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at the Cross Border Trade Strategic Conversations Summit, hosted at the Regenesys Education Campus in Sandton,...
Angola is set to become the 14th member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Area (FTA), following the successful conclusion of a Trade...
By Danilo Desiderio On February 7, 2025, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) officially presented a Time Release Study (TRS) analyzing the primary trade barriers along...
