ADAPT, an AfCFTA-backed initiative, aims to build trusted digital infrastructure for intra-African trade.
Three Markets Move First
Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria will be the first countries to implement the Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade initiative, known as ADAPT, as the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat moves to accelerate digital trade across the continent.
The initiative is designed to support intra-African commerce by building shared digital infrastructure for trade, including digital identity, cross-border data exchange and interoperable payments.
Building Digital Trade Infrastructure
At its core, ADAPT establishes a shared and interoperable digital foundation for trusted cross-border data exchange. The initiative is intended to connect how goods, payments and information move across Africa through secure digital identity systems, seamless data exchange and integrated payment infrastructure.
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.’’
Implementation will now begin across Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria. This includes establishing ADAPT Country Implementation Forums, integrating digital identity systems and payment rails, and aligning national infrastructure with continental interoperability standards.
Initial work will focus on live cross-border data exchange, digitizing trade documentation at source and supporting faster, more secure transactions for businesses involved in intra-African trade.
Reducing Friction Across Borders
Trade across Africa remains constrained by paper-based processes, fragmented systems and limited interoperability, creating delays, costs and friction at borders.
ADAPT is designed to address these challenges by enabling more efficient and secure cross-border flows. The initiative will also explore digital payment solutions, including future work around 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 digitizing 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.”
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.”
From Pilot Phase to Scale
The three countries will help shape governance frameworks, test regulatory approaches and demonstrate real-world use cases that can be replicated elsewhere.
Over time, lessons from Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria are expected to inform the phased expansion of ADAPT to additional countries, supporting the longer-term vision of a digitally enabled African market.
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