Editorial: Africa has no option but to become borderless!

The Executive Consultant-Africa Trade Capacity Centre, Dr. Fareed Arthur, has said strategic trade partnerships are the critical catalyst for realising a fully integrated and borderless African market.

Consequently, businesses, especially small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) across the continent, should foster deeper trade partnerships as a critical strategy for boosting intra-African trade and achieving borderless African market access.

“To thrive in a borderless market, African businesses must prioritise regional partnerships, align with cross-continental regulatory standards and leverage their competitive advantages,” he said.

Highlighting opportunities and challenges facing the AfCFTA initiative under the theme ‘Thriving in a Borderless African Market’, Dr. Arthur asserts substantial progress has been made since AfCFTA was launched in 2021.

Introducing AfCFTA is a definitive game-changer that is poised to transform the continent into a powerful economic bloc. “Africa has no option but to become borderless and, over time, all 54 countries will be fully borderless,” he added.

The cocoa industry is worth over US$150billion globally, yet Africa – despite being the leading producer through countries like Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire – captures just US$6billion of that value.

“Every mobile phone has a component sourced from Africa, yet none are manufactured here. This is a missed opportunity,” he laments. Therefore, transforming Africa from a political union into a truly economic one requires commitment to internal trade, industrialisation and value addition.

Dr. Arthur also highlighted the growing relevance of trade in services, particularly within the digital economy where Africa’s youth are rapidly gaining traction.

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