Accra, Ghana – To unlock the full potential of cross-border trade and achieve continental digital integration, Africa must strategically address four critical pillars: payments, identity, regulation, and infrastructure. This was the central message delivered by Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang at the 3i Africa Summit 2026 in Accra, where she emphasized the need to move beyond isolated successes to a unified, continent-wide digital economy.
Bridging Pockets of Progress to Continental Scale
While Africa has demonstrated significant innovation in areas like mobile money, digital identity, and fintech, these advancements have largely remained localized. The Vice President stressed that the current task is to scale these successes across the entire continent, transforming pockets of progress into a robust, integrated digital marketplace.
Addressing Payment Inefficiencies
A major hurdle identified by the Vice President is the inefficiency and high cost associated with intra-African payment systems. Currently, many transactions between African nations are routed through financial systems outside the continent and often settled in third-party currencies.
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