President William Ruto has launched a call for Africa to stop exporting raw materials and start trading with itself, saying the continent can no longer afford to depend on unpredictable global markets.
Speaking in Nairobi after taking over as chair of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), Ruto said Africa must take control of its economic destiny by breaking trade barriers, embracing technology and building strong value chains within its borders.
“Africa contributes only three per cent to global trade, and only 14 per cent to intra-Africa trade. We must move from competition to collaboration, from exporting raw materials to building value chains that retain wealth within our borders,” he said.
Ruto officially assumed the Comesa chairmanship from Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye during the 24th Summit of Heads of State and Government in Nairobi.
He said the new era of global protectionism and shifting trade policies should push Africa to strengthen its internal markets instead of relying on external partners.
Global trade has become increasingly unpredictable, with wealthy nations prioritising self-interest, industrial protection, and climate policies that are making it harder for developing countries to compete. The expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the reintroduction of tariffs by the US have left African exporters exposed to market shocks.
Ruto said it is time for Africa to turn those challenges into an opportunity for growth. He urged regional blocs to embrace full digitisation of trade to reduce costs and delays that have long crippled commerce across African borders.
He proposed that all COMESA member states adopt electronic Certificates of Origin, Single Window Systems, and interoperable cross-border payment platforms to facilitate easier and faster trade.
He said Africa must also invest in modern transport networks, regional data centres and secure cloud systems to power a connected trade ecosystem.
“The Comesa bloc, and Africa at large, must move decisively to digitalise every aspect of trade facilitation by investing jointly in physical and digital infrastructure, modern transport corridors, regional data centres and secure cloud services,” he said.
Ruto also urged African nations to embrace automation, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, saying this is the key to creating jobs and building wealth from within.
“This is how we will transform our rich mineral and agricultural resources into high-value finished products within COMESA, creating quality jobs, boosting incomes, and expanding our economies,” he added.
The Nairobi Comesa Summit produced a declaration that will guide the bloc’s agenda for the next two years. It focuses on boosting agricultural productivity through smart farming, increasing trade through digitisation, and transforming transport and logistics through technology.
Africa’s total merchandise trade reached $1.5 trillion (Ksh 193.8 trillion) in 2024, a 13.9 per cent increase from 2023, while intra-African trade stood at $220.3 billion (Ksh 28.5 trillion).
AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene said 24 countries are already trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) rules, which helped push up trade volumes last year.
Still, Africa’s intra-continental trade lags behind other regions. While Europe and Asia record between 50 and 70 per cent internal trade, Africa stands at only 14 per cent.
African Union chairman Mahmoud Youssouf said AfCFTA remains the strongest path to economic independence for Africa. “This will help us build a resilient intra-Africa trade. We need to implement all required instruments for the implementation of AfCFTA,” he said.
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