Trade
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The trade concession, announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Trade, comes as East Africa’s largest economy remains heavily dependent on imports from China.
When Musa, a food commodities trader in southwest Nigeria, secured a buyer in Accra, the distance looked manageable. The route hugged the Atlantic coastline, demand was strong, and the margins worked on paper. Then came the borders.
For most investors and exporters, trade agreements matter only when they start changing costs, timelines, and risk. Until then, they remain political documents. Nigeria’s engagement with the African Continental Free Trade Area largely fell into the second category for years.
The timing of China’s annual New Year tour coincides with worsening diplomatic relations between Africa and the US, underpinned by steep trade tariffs and foreign aid cuts.
The renewed push comes as global trade faces mounting uncertainty from protectionist policies by the US, reinforcing the need for African nations to deepen regional trade as a pathway to resilient growth.
The United States recently expanded travel restrictions targeting citizens from multiple African countries, suspending entry for several key visa categories starting January 1, 2026.
Before the new tariffs, South Africa’s small exporters typically saw their strongest US demand in the final quarter, driven by Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas shopping.
An analysis by Finance in Africa revealed that US-bound exports grew from $674 million in January to $982 million in October, reflecting a 37% increase.
For decades, cross-border trade in Africa has depended on the U.S. dollar, an expensive middleman that small businesses can barely afford. Every time goods moved across a border, traders lost time and money converting local currencies through foreign banks.
When Nigeria ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2020, it was sold as a once-in-a-generation opportunity, a chance to plug Africa’s largest economy into a single market of 1.3 billion people…
The decline marks a rare relief in South Africa’s prolonged unemployment crisis, which has persisted above 30% since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Cash-based merchants are driving digital transfers, but there’s an opportunity to drive credit. The tell tale signs are there.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, earned $2.48bn in export revenue during the first quarter of the 2025/26 fiscal year, representing a 117% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.
The German multinational logistics and supply chain management company is doubling down on Africa’s trade future with a $349.6m investment targeting logistics expansion across its express, global forwarding, and supply chain division.
In the first six months of 2025, Nigeria’s trade with African countries totalled $3.13bn (₦4.82trn). While this marks an improvement from the pandemic slump — $2.86bn (₦963.62bn) in H1 2020 and $2.47bn (₦963.64bn) in H1 2021 — it is still 30.6% below H1 2019 levels.
The move marks a milestone for the Horn of Africa nation, which signed the trade agreement in 2018 and has since worked to align its systems with continental trade protocols.
Africa’s trade finance shortfall won’t be fixed by banks alone — embedded finance and digital liquidity platforms hold the key to inclusive, cross-border trade growth.
In an operating environment marked by high inflation, weak consumer purchasing power, and multiple taxes, women entrepreneurs are quietly outperforming their male peers.
Incremental Profit, a South African supply chain firm, has announced a partnership with Onebeat, a global AI-powered firm, to improve inventory management for retailers and distributors in South Africa.
The Gold Board is also working on establishing a wholly state-owned refinery built to international standards, enabling Ghana to transition from exporting doré to producing bullion.