Africa needs to rise, but it should be more than mere rhetoric. It must be backed by concrete and deliberate actions. Africa accounts for less than 3% of global trade. This is too small to move the needle. We have a youthful population, a good climate, natural resources, and arable land. These are all great blessings that should be optimized for economic expansion. Africa has no reason to be poor.

One of our downsides is the exportation of our natural resources without refining them. We must refine our resources and ensure we trade much more within Africa. Africa accounts for a meagre 1.2% of global manufacturing value added. The wealth of Africa can't be unveiled if we continue to shun manufacturing of our natural resources.

The challenges of African intra-continental trade are multidimensional. Imagine a young entrepreneur in Lagos with a breakthrough textile technology who wants to sell her products in Nairobi. Today, her journey is more like navigating a labyrinth than a business opportunity. She'll need visas that will take long before approval, face exorbitant shipping costs, navigate complex customs regulations, and overcome infrastructure challenges that would make any businessperson simply give up. This isn't a hypothetical scenario – it's the daily reality for African businesses trying to trade within their own continent.

I was to get a visa of an African country sometimes ago and it was to take a week. When I queried it, they told me, I should be thankful and that it will take them (that African country) two weeks to get Nigerian visa. Let me share a personal experience that crystallizes Africa's trade challenges.

During one of my journeys to Addis Ababa, I met Kwame, a Ghanaian cocoa processor who wanted to export processed cocoa products to Kenya. The shocking information he gave me was that it is easier and cheaper for him to ship to Europe than to another African country.

This is where our government all over Africa must be deliberate about facilitating the creation of wealth in each country through trade. Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt have a role to play in this. After we have succeeded in creating policies that will enable the manufacturing of our resources in our respective countries, we must now move to facilitation of trade with one another.

As of today, we buy more from Europe, Asia, and America than buying from within the continent. The liberation of Africa is in our hands and not in the hands of Asians, Europeans, or Americans. African intra-continental trade is between 15-17%, which is the lowest in the world. This means we have 83-85% of our trade with other continents. This is totally in contrast with Europe, whose intra-continental trade is 68%. Asia is 59% and North America is 55%.

This is a signal that they have used their trade to create more opportunities for their people than for other continents. African countries need to do better in their trade with other countries in Africa.
It is for the above reason that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was set up to facilitate trade in Africa. Africa is expected to be treated as a single trade block. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents our most ambitious trade integration effort.

No doubt, there have been challenges in Africa which each national government must rise to fix. These include road infrastructure, low level of investment, lack of access to credit that will enhance business set up and expand existing business, volatility of currency, ease of movement between countries and ease of communication. Other things that must be on the priority list of our African leaders are:

1. Make it easy for Africans to travel within the continent. The visa process across African countries is a significant trade barrier. Consider these examples: A business meeting in Zambia might require weeks of visa processing, some African countries charge over $200 for entry visas while some have some complex documentation requirements which discourage spontaneous business interactions. I suggest each country should adopt a visa-on-arrival policy for African passport holders

2. Manufacturing Revolution. Take Nigeria as a prime example. Until recently, Africa's most populous nation exports crude oil but imports refined petroleum. This single practice represents billions in lost economic opportunity. There are refineries up and running now in Nigeria but this same crude refining must be adopted in steel and other crude natural resources. Let’s stop exporting jobs by selling crude raw materials. Apart from the Nigeria refinery success story, some success stories include Morocco which has developed a robust automotive manufacturing ecosystem and Ethiopia's textile manufacturing which has attracted significant international investment.

3. Infrastructure Development. Practical trade requires practical infrastructure. The African Development Bank estimates that the continent needs $130-$170 billion annually in infrastructure investment. Nigeria is revamping her railway system with Standard Gauge Railway in three major regions of the country. These are expected to be linked together with time. The Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has reduced transportation costs by 40%.

4. Digitize customs in all countries. We can have an Electronic Customs. This will reduce the time taken to clear goods and also enable transparency to all stakeholders on the African Trade project.

Africa's economic liberation won't come from external saviors but from our own deliberate and coordinated efforts. Our youthful population, abundant natural resources, and entrepreneurial spirit are not just assets – they're our economic revolution waiting to be unleashed. The future of African trade isn't about competing with the world – it's about trading effectively first within the continent.

We must therefore simplify cross-border movement, invest in manufacturing capabilities, facilitate the ease of doing business, create supportive business and policy environments, embrace digital transformation including our customs across different countries and we will be able to see a new Africa.

Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.