New WTO-World Bank reports hail progress in advancing Africa’s digital trade

Ambassador Richard Brown of Jamaica, the facilitator of the WTO Work Programme on E-commerce, moderated the discussion.

In her opening remarks, Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill noted that the “Digital Trade for Africa” (DTA) project has come a long way since the joint World Bank–WTO policy note presented to African officials in July 2023. This note called for creating an enabling regulatory environment for digital trade. She recalled that the project’s official launch at the 13th Ministerial Conference in February 2024 initiated full-fledged pilot Digital Trade Reviews in six countries to identify possible policy actions.

She emphasized the project’s value in fitting into broader WTO discussions on e-commerce: “Delegations have encouraged partnerships with relevant institutions to address the digital divide, including through gap analyses and digital trade readiness assessments. This project demonstrates a concrete example of such partnership.”

She further noted that the six assessment reports and a stocktake note presenting key findings and next steps were released during the WTO Public Forum on 17–18 September, helping to build strong momentum for further work. “There has been interest in extending the project to additional countries and other regions. In fact, last week we launched a similar initiative for the Latin America and Caribbean region, in partnership with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank,” she added.

Experts from the WTO and World Bank secretariats presented the key findings of the reports.

Antonia Carzaniga of the WTO highlighted digital connectivity foundations, participation in digital trade, and the trade policy framework in the pilot countries. She noted that, despite some remaining gaps, the six African countries’ connectivity foundations — notably electricity access, internet coverage, affordability and usage — have improved significantly over the past decade. She also noted that trade in digitally delivered services has also generally been on an upward trajectory.

She underscored the important role of the WTO rulebook, particularly the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), and the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). These agreements, she explained, help guarantee market openness and predictable trading conditions for digital trade–enabling services (e.g. telecommunications, finance, transport), eliminate tariffs on information and communications technology (ICT) goods (e.g. computers, smartphones) and expedite customs procedures, to the particular benefit of digital trade activities that rely on quick delivery. She added that bilateral and regional trade arrangements also play a complementary role in promoting digital trade.

The World Bank’s Martin Molinuevo presented the Bank’s work on Digital Trade Gap Analysis, which examines the current state of African countries’ regulatory practices and identifies gaps relative to good international policy practices. He acknowledged the substantial progress made in areas such as electronic invoicing, e-signatures and e-contracts, while noting weaker frameworks for cross-border data flows and consumer protection.

Both speakers stressed that these analyses are valuable beyond information-sharing: they help members benchmark their trade and regulatory frameworks and connectivity infrastructure against international best practices, while also catalysing broader engagement with government agencies across services sectors.

They drew members' attention to the template developed during the pilot phase, which could be applied in other countries to conduct digital trade assessments.

Participants also heard the World Bank’s presentation on its ongoing regional and national activities and projects in support of digital trade in Africa. This includes its support to the African Union Single Digital Market Vision 2030, which supports the development of an integrated digital market in Africa by strengthening cross-border broadband connectivity, data flows, and e-payments. The Bank emphasized that all its projects in Africa prioritize improving digital infrastructure.

Concluding the event, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang emphasized the WTO’s ongoing efforts to provide much-needed technical assistance to African countries in addressing digital gaps. Looking ahead, he said: “We intend to help these pilot countries leverage best practices globally and mobilize donor support for drafting and enforcing relevant laws and regulations. In the next phase of the DTA project, we will work with each pilot country individually to provide a tailor-made technical assistance programme for them.” He also emphasized the importance of expanding partnerships with a diverse range of donors and welcomed the prospect of leveraging the experience gained to extend technical assistance to other developing countries.

The six country assessment reports（Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda） and the stocktake note are available on the dedicated Digital Trade for Africa project page: WTO | Digital Trade for Africa project.