Africa’s trade integration pivots on a trustable digital identity, says Margins ID Group

The charge to build a single continental market for trade, wealth creation and fast-paced development is dependent on a trusted and reliable cross-border identity that is based on shared trust and mutual respect, says Andrew Asamoah, Executive Director for Software Development at Margins ID Group.

Speaking at the inaugural Mobex Africa Partnership Day in Accra, he expressed optimism that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers a historic opportunity to integrate markets, but digital trust must be its backbone.

“Imagine a system where a digital ID issued in Ghana works seamlessly in Rwanda, Nigeria, or South Africa. What if it could instantly verify a traveller’s details at airport, or a Senegalese entrepreneur could launch a business in Accra using legally recognised digital credentials,” he pondered, linking the success of intra-Africa trade to a centralized digital identity.

Mr. Asamoah also emphasized that the success of the Africa-wide market requires harmonising identity systems, aligning data protection laws, and creating frictionless digital corridors across the continent.

He further indicated: “We must build sovereign digital infrastructure; platforms and systems that are owned and governed locally, powered by African talent, and regulated by our own laws. Our data should not flow freely into opaque foreign jurisdictions, and our artificial intelligence should reflect African languages, cultures, and values.”

In furtherance of this vision, Margins ID Group says in discussion with partners across Africa to explore ways of powering regional integration using its bouquet of trusted home-grown digital identity solutions.

With 70percent of Sub-Saharan Africans under the age of 30, Mr. Asamoah opined that the continent is brimming with potential that required right investments in digital skills, innovation finance, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

“Africa’s digital future is not a question of capacity. It is a question of coordination, conviction, and courage. We already have the talent, the ideas, and the technology. What we need now is the will to act, and the courage to act together,” Mr. Asamoah further stressed.

Mobex Africa, birthed a decade ago to spearhead the continent’s digital transformation, has over the years transitioned into a convening power for visionaries, innovators, policymakers and investors in the tech and innovation space united by the common goal of unlocking Africa’s potential through technology.

Touching on the need for partnerships across Africa’s digital ecosystem, George Spencer Quaye, chief executive officer of Mobex Africa, stressed that the continent was at a critical inflection point with its surging youth population, while digital technologies continue to reshape its critical sectors—from agriculture and finance to governance and leadership.

“Partnerships provide us with the leverage to scale solutions, share resources and bridge divides, they are the engine that power ecosystems. They enable the public and private sectors to co-create policies, harness innovations and foster investments for both economic growth and social impact,” he said.