Botswana President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko has urged African countries to unite in a bid towards strengthening digital trade.
Speaking at the recently concluded African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) summit in Lusaka, Zambia, President Boko urged African leaders to move beyond rhetoric and collaborate to build a transformative coalition focused on trade and digital integration.
Boko emphasised that while a foundation for the AfCFTA has been laid, tangible action is now required to ensure the continent realises a functional digital economy. He reaffirmed Botswana’s commitment to leading Africa into a digital revolution that breaks down traditional barriers to trade.
“We need to bring down barriers, boundaries, and barricades,” said Boko. “We must empower our people to trade freely among themselves and support their endeavors.”
Highlighting the importance of regional collaboration, President Boko called for enhanced digital cooperation among African nations to bolster trade and investment. He stressed that a genuine trade revolution must be swift, targeted, and impactful.
“A true trade revolution must be convulsive—it must be compressed in time and concentrated on specific goals. We must set clear timeframes,” he stated.
President Boko concluded by underscoring the need for African countries to commit to concrete deliverables that tangibly improve the lives and living conditions of their citizens.
