How payment, logistics failures hurt Africa’s intra-trade growth

Lorries wait for clearance at one of the borders. PHOTO | FILE

Dar es Salaam. Despite Africa’s growing population and rich natural resources, the continent continues to trail behind in harnessing its full trade potential — and at the heart of this slow progress lies a crippling lack of uniform payment systems and inadequate infrastructure.

While Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) promises a unified market, the absence of an integrated cross-border payment framework and interconnected transport networks is severely limiting business growth.