The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has signed a definitive Joint Venture Agreement with Ghanaian technology company Quest Ghana Limited to create a US$5.17 billion Digital Trade Corridor designed to make cross-border commerce faster, cheaper and more accessible across Africa.
The project will be supported by the Republic of Seychelles, with its headquarters based in Victoria. Quest Ghana Limited has valued the initiative at US$5.17 billion, according to the AfCFTA Secretariat.
Its planned infrastructure will include an African Minerals and Commodities Exchange, a continental digital marketplace and an interoperable cross-border payment system. The joint venture will also develop logistics, trading, tracking and settlement systems to support businesses operating across national borders.
The AfCFTA estimates that the corridor could help increase intra-African trade from its current value of about US$200 billion to US$500 billion and beyond. The project aims to achieve that by reducing the cost, complexity and administrative barriers involved in cross-border transactions.
Businesses will be offered integrated digital services covering trade, payments, logistics, tracking and settlement. The system is intended to support companies of different sizes, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as youth and women traders.
AfCFTA Secretary-General H.E. Wamkele Mene said digital infrastructure would be central to unlocking the continent’s trading potential and helping businesses take part more effectively in Africa’s single market.
“Trade is the engine of Africa’s prosperity, and digital infrastructure is the track on which that engine must run; digital infrastructure will enable accelerated intra-Africa trade,” he said.
Mr. Mene added that the agreement with Quest Ghana reflected the Secretariat’s commitment to creating digital infrastructure that is seamless, secure and interoperable across the continent.
The partnership follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two parties in March 2026. The Government of Seychelles approved the project at Cabinet level in July.
Under the terms of the joint venture, the partners will design, build and operate the infrastructure required for the Digital Trade Corridor. That work will cover digital marketplaces, cross-border payment platforms, logistics infrastructure, and systems for the trading, monitoring and settlement of minerals and commodities.
Minerals and commodities exchange
The proposed African Minerals and Commodities Exchange will offer a structured digital platform for trading minerals, agricultural products and other commodities produced across the continent.
A separate digital marketplace will connect companies and traders in different African markets. The interoperable payment network is expected to make cross-border transactions easier while improving the movement of capital between countries.
The project is intended to complement wider AfCFTA efforts to reduce the friction and expense associated with intra-African trade.
Quest Ghana Executive Chairman Philip Gamey said the corridor would be developed to serve businesses of all sizes, rather than focusing mainly on large multinational companies.
“Africa’s future depends on the flow of goods, services, and capital across its borders,” Mr. Gamey said.
He said the initiative would create transparent, efficient and inclusive trade infrastructure capable of linking more than 1.4 billion people across Africa.
The Digital Trade Corridor is part of the broader implementation of the AfCFTA, which aims to establish a single continental market for about 1.4 billion people. That market represents a combined gross domestic product of approximately US$3.4 trillion.
Seychelles has described its involvement as part of the country’s wider contribution to Africa’s economic integration. Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Trade and Investment Pierre Laporte said the country was proud to provide sovereign support for the project and host its headquarters in Victoria.
