Strategic Blueprint: Powering Continental Digital Trade through Interoperable DPI and Broadband Infrastructure

Abstract

The full realization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) relies heavily on transforming physical trade barriers into secure, seamless digital channels. While the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade (DTP) provides the regulatory foundation, African states must urgently bridge severe infrastructure, identity, and payment fragmentations. Integrating robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), deploying open-access crossborder broadband backbones like Nigeria's Project BRIDGE, and scaling interoperable payment rails like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) can reduce trade costs by up to 25%. This blueprint details the required policy interventions, technical components, country case studies, and strategic recommendations needed to build a connected African digital economy.