19 May 2026, Accra, Ghana: The African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat has announced that Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria will be the first countries to lead the implementation of the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade (ADAPT) initiative, aimed at advancing the creation of a single African market.

The selection of pilot countries followed a rigorous two-stage process based on national ratification of the Protocol, considering political commitment and institutional readiness; legal and regulatory alignment; digital public infrastructure and technical capacity; private sector engagement; and overall implementation capability, including co-financing readiness. This ensured that selected countries are well-positioned to drive impact, scale solutions, and advance the objectives of the AfCFTA.

Launched in November 2025, ADAPT is a key step toward establishing the world’s largest free trade area by population, providing the digital infrastructure to connect all 55 countries. By fostering deeper economic integration and reducing trade barriers, the initiative is poised to unlock new opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs, while significantly boosting intra-African trade and driving sustainable growth across the region.

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, said: “The full implementation of the AfCFTA could boost intra-African exports by over 80% and generate up to US$450 billion by 2035. Through initiatives like ADAPT, digital public infrastructure spanning digital identity, payments, and data systems will be the engine that lowers trade costs, expands market access, and enables a more competitive, inclusive, and resilient African single market. 

This is not simply a technological shift, but a strategic transformation of how trade is conducted across our continent. By building trusted, interoperable digital systems, we are unlocking new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises, particularly with women and youth, to participate meaningfully in regional and global value chains. In doing so, we are laying the foundation for a truly integrated and future-ready African economy.”

At its core, ADAPT establishes a shared, interoperable digital foundation designed to enable trusted data exchange across borders, connecting how goods, payments, and information move across the continent. Through secure digital identity systems, interoperability, seamless data exchange, and enabling integrated payment infrastructure, the initiative moves national digitisation efforts towards creating cross-border networks and a continental ecosystem. 

This marks a significant step forward in operationalising digital trade infrastructure to advance the objectives of the AfCFTA. Today, trade remains constrained by paper-based processes, fragmented systems, and limited interoperability, creating friction, delays, and unnecessary costs across borders. ADAPT addresses these challenges by enabling more seamless, efficient, and secure cross-border flows, strengthening Africa’s integration into the global economy.

ADAPT is an African-led digital transformation initiative of the AfCFTA Secretariat, developed in collaboration with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, the IOTA Foundation, and World Economic Forum, and built on interoperable digital trade infrastructure TWIN. 

In addition to trade digital interoperability, the ADAPT initiative will open up new opportunities for enterprises of all sizes across Africa to access digital payment solutions, including the future exploration of digital currencies such as stablecoins.

Dominik Schiener, Co-Founder and Chair of the IOTA Foundation, said: “Africa has a unique opportunity to leapfrog fragmented, paper-based trade systems and establish digital trust infrastructure designed for the future. ADAPT is not only digitising processes, but it is also creating a shared, interoperable foundation where trade data can be trusted, verified, and exchanged securely across borders. We are proud to contribute our technology and expertise to a milestone that advances not only digital trade, but the broader vision of a truly integrated African market.”

What happens next?

Implementation will now begin across Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria, with countries working closely with the AfCFTA Secretariat and technical partners to operationalise ADAPT. This includes establishing ADAPT Country Implementation Forums, integrating core digital public infrastructure components such as digital identity systems and payment rails, and aligning national systems with continental interoperability standards.

Initial efforts will focus on enabling live cross-border data exchange, digitising trade documentation at the source, and supporting faster, more secure transactions for businesses engaged in intra-African trade.

The three pilot countries will play a critical role in shaping governance frameworks, testing regulatory approaches, including emerging areas such as digital currencies, and demonstrating real-world use cases that can be replicated across the continent. Lessons learned will inform a phased expansion of ADAPT to additional countries. 

Frank Matsaert, Global Lead for Trade, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said: ‘’The launch of ADAPT in these first three countries marks the beginning of its implementation under the AfCFTA. By embedding digital trust and interoperability at the heart of trade processes, the AfCFTA and its partners are laying the foundation for a more connected, competitive, and resilient African market. The ADAPT initiative welcomes active participation by additional partners and funders.’’

Over time, ADAPT is expected to establish a scalable digital backbone for intra-African trade, enabling goods, data, identity, and payments to move more seamlessly across borders, and supporting the long-term vision of a fully integrated and digitally enabled African market.

Chido Munyati, Head of Africa, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, said: "Africa’s trade future will be shaped by how effectively we implement the AfCFTA and remove real barriers to cross-border commerce. That requires stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors, and solutions that are grounded in African realities. ADAPT reflects this shift - from ambition to execution - by supporting trusted digital frameworks that make trade faster, more transparent and more inclusive. The World Economic Forum is committed to advancing initiatives that turn continental integration into tangible economic opportunity."