Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD)

Snr. Digital Trade Expert @AfCFTA | Investment & Trade Law | Digital Trade | Regional Economic Integration | Personal account - own views | RTs not endorsements

[Ahunna Eziakonwa @ahunnaeziakonwa]

At #BiasharaAfrika26 this week, Africa reaffirmed a shared ambition: one integrated African market powered by trade, innovation and opportunity.

Together with the #AfCFTA Secretariat & partners, @UNDP is working to unlock growth for Africa’s women, youth and entrepreneurs.

[TRT Afrika @trtafrika]

The Republic of Congo is set to join the other African countries that have opened their borders to African nationals without requiring an entry visa, the country’s president says

https://t.co/OpeFLK6u9M

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

Africa’s digital market is taking shape now. 🌍💻
At #BiasharaAfrika2026, businesses got a front-row seat to how the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol can unlock real opportunities across the continent.
🔹 The AfCFTA Secretariat broke down how the Protocol on Digital Trade can help businesses access and scale across African markets.
🔹 The ITC @ITCnews showcased the African Trade Observatory (ATO), delivering real-time trade and market intelligence to support smarter business decisions.
🔹 Ecobank @GroupEcobank unveiled the Single Market Trade Hub: a platform connecting African businesses to opportunities, partners, and market insights across the continent.
The future of intra-African trade won't move by truck alone. It will move by click

#BA2026 #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

💳 Fragmented payments are costing African businesses. MSMEs, women, youth, and small-scale traders bear the biggest burden.
At #BiasharaAfrika2026, one message rang clear:
"The technology for instant cross-border payments is already there.", Mr. Isaac Kamuta, Ecobank.

The #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade provides the legal framework. Now comes implementation.
The framework exists.
The momentum is building. It is time to implement. 🌍
#DigitalTrade #CrossBorderPayments #CreatingOneAfricanMarket #BiasharaAfrika2026

[Ministère de la Sécurité - Togo @MSPC_TOGO]

LE TOGO SUPPRIME LE VISA POUR TOUS LES AFRICAINS !

Le Togo franchit une étape historique dans le renforcement de l’intégration africaine. Désormais, tous les ressortissants des États africains détenteurs d’un passeport national valide peuvent entrer sur le territoire togolais sans visa, pour un séjour allant jusqu’à 30 jours.

À travers cette réforme majeure, le Président du Conseil réaffirme sa volonté de faire du Togo un espace d’ouverture, de mobilité, d’opportunités et de coopération au cœur du continent africain.

Les voyageurs doivent toutefois effectuer leur déclaration de voyage sur la plateforme officielle https://t.co/CsFa9PI7k2 au moins 24 heures avant leur arrivée afin d’obtenir leur bordereau de voyage.
Le Togo confirme ainsi son leadership en matière d’intégration régionale et de rapprochement des peuples africains.

#Togo
#Afrique
#integration
#Libre
#panafricanism
#voyage
#cooperation

[Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) @talkmorechidede]

We kicked off Day Zero of #BA2026 with a Media Advocacy Workshop. Media practitioners are the bridge between policymakers, businesses and ordinary citizens.

#AfCFTA #BA2026

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

Ahead of #BiasharaAfrika2026's opening, the AfCFTA Secretariat held a Media Advocacy Workshop in Lomé with journalists from across Africa.
The programme covered key AfCFTA protocols, offering media a deeper understanding of its role in Africa’s economic integration.
It also facilitated exchanges between journalists, the Private Sector, and experts, promoting dialogue about trade, regional integration, and AfCFTA reporting.
Organized with the @ITCnews , the workshop also introduced resources for accurate, impactful reporting.
#BiasharaAfrika2026 #Media #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

Asky is offering a 15% discount on both business and economy class fares to Lome for #BiasharaAfrika2026

Use code LFW0023M when booking your flight from any ASKY ticketing offices.
Secure your seat and get ready to explore new trade horizons!
#BiasharaAfrika26 #AfCFTA #Asky

[Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) @talkmorechidede]

This week, we held a Validation Workshop with various stakeholders in Kenya to review and validate Kenya’s Digital Trade Regulatory Assessment on the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. The Assessment reveals that most of Kenyan laws and regulations are aligned to the Protocol on Digital Trade.

The Workshop reinforced that:
☑️ Effective implementation of the Protocol on Digital Trade must be grounded in evidence-based analysis; and
☑️ Comprehensive regulatory assessment provides the foundation for identifying legal, policy, and institutional alignment or gaps, and highlight opportunities to strengthen harmonisation across jurisdictions.

As Africa advances AfCFTA implementation and deeper economic integration, evidence-driven implementation will be essential in ensuring that digital trade frameworks deliver tangible outcomes for businesses, startups, MSMEs, women, youth, rural communities, and citizens across the continent.

The AfCFTA Digital Trade Regulatory Assessments are not just research or technical exercises. They are meant to support the State Parties in fulfilling their obligation under Article 48 of the Protocol on Digital Trade. 

The Assessments are strategic tool to help the government of the Republic of Kenya and other State Parties to translate legal frameworks into a practical, implementable national action plans. By providing clear insights into readiness, priorities, and areas requiring reform, the assessment support the government of Kenya and other State Parties in building coherent and inclusive digital trade ecosystems that can unlock cross-border innovation, investment, and market access under the AfCFTA.

Thank you to all the stakeholders (i.e. ministries and regulatory authorities responsible for trade, ICT, digital economy, data protection commission, competition, investment promotion, revenue authority, central bank, fintechs & bankers associations, private sector, etc) participated in the Workshop to contribute to and validate the findings of Kenya’s Digital Trade Regulatory Assessment on the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade

#AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #DigitalEconomy

[African Export-Import Bank - Afreximbank @afreximbank]

Africa’s next generation of innovators is shaping the future of trade, finance, logistics, and digital commerce.

Following a successful first cohort, the Afreximbank Accelerator Programme returns with Demo Day 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together founders, investors, corporate leaders, policymakers, and ecosystem stakeholders for an afternoon of innovation, collaboration, and growth.

After months of mentorship and venture development, eight high-potential African startups will showcase solutions driving economic transformation across the continent.

Featuring: https://t.co/pdYnmfXwfk • @OnePort365 • @usetimon • @zowasel • @GebeyaInc • @fluna_africa • @GetCapsa • @dabafinance @dabafinancefr

Nairobi, Kenya | 20 May 2026
Seats are limited. Register now to join us: https://t.co/KIKZThbTYL

#Afreximbank #AfreximbankAccelerator #DemoDay2026 #AfricanInnovation #FutureOfTrade

[Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) @talkmorechidede]

REMINDER: Join us at BIASHARA AFRIKA 2026, hosted by the @AfCFTA & the Government of Togo under the patronage of H.E. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé.

📆 18 - 20 May, 2026
📍Palais des Congrès de Lomé, Togo

Do not forget to register here: https://t.co/vsUlGfqnpR

#BA2026 #AfCFTA

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

The #AfCFTA Secretariat is convening a Validation Workshop on the Republic of Kenya’s Gap Analysis of the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade from 12–14 May 2026 in Tigoni, Kenya.

The Workshop brings together key stakeholders, including ministries responsible for trade, ICT and the digital economy, the Data Protection Commission, Investment Promotion Authority, Revenue Authority, Central Bank, Competition Authority, fintech and banking associations, as well as private sector representatives, to review and validate the findings of Kenya’s Digital Trade Regulatory Assessment under the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.
The Workshop aims to align the findings of the Gap Analysis with the objectives of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, while supporting the domestication of the Protocol within Kenya’s legal and regulatory framework.
This forms part of the #AfCFTA Secretariat’s broader programme to support State Parties in aligning their laws and regulations with the Protocol on Digital Trade, and to ensure that no measures inconsistent with the Protocol are adopted, in line with Article 48 of the Protocol.
Other State Parties are encouraged to submit formal requests for similar technical support to facilitate the domestication and implementation of the Protocol within their respective jurisdictions.
#AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

[Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) @talkmorechidede]

The Protocol on Digital Trade and tools like PAPSS make cross-border digital transactions seamless, creating opportunities for MSMEs, women, youth and rural communities across the African single market.

#AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #DigitalInclusion #FinancialInclusion

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

Speaking at the Private High-Level Luncheon organised by the French-Africa Foundation during the Africa Forward Summit, H.E. Wamkele Mene highlighted the immense potential of Africa’s digital economy to transform trade and investment across the continent.
He emphasised that the implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, together with the Pan-African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS), is creating opportunities for seamless cross-border payments in local currencies, enhanced financial inclusion, and expanded market access for African businesses.
H.E. Mene noted that as SMEs continue to drive employment and contribute significantly to Africa’s GDP, expanding access to affordable trade finance and strengthening digital payment infrastructure remain essential to unlocking the full potential of intra-African trade.
He further underscored that strategic collaboration among governments, financial institutions, development finance institutions, and private investors will be critical to accelerating Africa’s economic integration and positioning SMEs as a key engine for growth by 2035.
#DigitalTrade #DigitalEconomy #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

On the margins of the Africa Investment and Trade Forum (AFIC12) on 9-10 May 2026 in Algiers, Algeria, H.E. Wamkele Mene met with Hon. Noureddine Ouadah, Minister of Knowledge Economy, Start-Ups and Micro-enterprises of Algeria.

Discussions highlighted the fruitful outcomes of IATF 2025 in Algiers and focused on the organisation of the Africa Start-up Conference scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 December 2026 in Algiers, Algeria.

H.E. Mene updated Hon. Ouadah on SME activities and initiatives led by the Secretariat at national and regional levels, and both leaders agreed on a partnership to co-convene this important event for African start-ups and SMEs, mostly led by young people.
#AfCFTA #AFIC12

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, participated in a working lunch with The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, focused on strengthening Africa–Canada trade and investment relations within a changing global economic environment.
Discussions underscored the importance of diversified supply chains, rules-based trade, and stronger economic partnerships amid growing global economic fragmentation.
The engagement recognised the AfCFTA as a strategic framework for advancing industrialisation, investment, and intra-African trade, while creating opportunities for deeper Canada–Africa economic cooperation across sectors including manufacturing, critical minerals, digital trade, energy, infrastructure, SMEs, women, and youth.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of translating the AfCFTA and Canada–Africa Strategy into practical and mutually beneficial outcomes through structured collaboration and investment-led partnerships.

[Better Than Cash Alliance @BetterThan_Cash]

How can digital trade expand opportunities across #Africa?

In this @RFI podcast, @LucyMbabazi and @talkmorechidede discuss collaboration between the @AfCFTA and @EU_Commission to support a common pan-African digital economy.

🎧 https://t.co/JYsihQWmbt

[Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) @talkmorechidede]

At #ConnectedAfricaSummit2026, I joined a panel to discuss the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade Protocol and what it means for African businesses, including creating market access, harmonised rules and seamless transactions across the single African Market
#AfCFTA #DigitalTrade

[AfCFTA Secretariat Official @AfCFTA]

On the sidelines of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy & Food Security in Freetown, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, H.E. Wamkele Mene, met with Keyzom Ngodup Massally, Director of the AI Hub and Head of Digital & AI Programmes,UNDP, to discuss how to accelerate Africa’s digital economy under the United Nations Development Programme.

Discussions focused on collaboration in Digital Public Infrastructure including cross-border digital payments and data transfer and supporting youth in digital innovation to advance Africa’s digital transformation agenda.
#AfCFTA

[L. Nshuti Mbabazi @LucyMbabazi]

📌📌

Digitalization of the #OneAfricanMarket Foundations through interoperable trade systems is the surest way to accelerate attainment of the revolution the Great Sankara dreamt & shared during the 1963 OAU Summit.

ONLY we THE PEOPLE can ensure it is delivered by 2030🙏🏾.

[Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) @talkmorechidede]

During the Connected Africa Summit 2026, I participated in a Ministerial Roundtable where I underscored the importance of enabling secure cross-border data flows, advancing cross-border interoperable digital identity and payment systems to support seamless digital trade

#CAS2026

[SABC News @SABCNews]

WATCH | Zimbabwe and Botswana are set to introduce passport-free travel for their citizens, allowing them to move between the two countries using national identity documents.