Snr. Digital Trade Expert @AfCFTA | Investment & Trade Law | Digital Trade | Regional Economic Integration | Personal account - own views | RTs not endorsements
Joined April 2011
- Tweets19.9K
- Following2.6K
- Followers2.7K
- Likes8.2K
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
Addressed the 25th COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government in Harare, Zimbabwe, where I handed over the chairmanship to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗖 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was held virtually on 21 October 2026 under the Chairpersonship of His Excellency Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa.
Among the key decisions taken, Summit elected the Right Honourable Mr. Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, as the Incoming Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. His election completes the Organ Troika, joining His Majesty King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini as the Current Organ Chairperson and His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi, Outgoing Chairperson.
Summit approved the appointment of Ms. Treasure Thembisile Maphanga, a continental trade, industrial policy, digital economy and institutional development executive from the Kingdom of Eswatini, as the new SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration.
Read the full Press Release with the key outcomes of the
Extraordinary Summit through this link: sadc.int/latest-news/sadc-su…
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
The #AfCFTA Secretariat will host a webinar on National Trading Companies on 11 November 2026, bringing together five active Trading Companies to share practical experiences of trading and building partnerships across African markets.
The session will run from 09:30 to 12:00 GMT.
Read more:
au-afcfta.org/2026/10/afcfta…
#AfCFTA #IntraAfricanTrade #TradingCompanies
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
Kenya’s businesses are ready to go digital. The law and agencies need to catch up.
On Tuesday, ICC Kenya, @EBRD and the @iccwbo Digital Standards Initiative brought together government, banks, logistics players and legal experts to discuss digital trade and trade finance. 🧵
HE Wamkele Mene: importance of digital trade. He has not yet hear of any protocol as comprehensive or inclusive as that of the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital trade
At the Workshop on Advancing Digital Trade and Trade Finance in Kenya, I shared insights on key priorities for implementing the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, focusing on supporting Member States in ratifying and implementing the Protocol.
Another key priority is interoperability. Africa’s digital economy and trade cannot become truly borderless if digital systems, identities, payments, data and regulatory frameworks cannot communicate and work seamlessly across borders.
These priorities aim to build the regulatory and institutional foundations for digital trade across the State Parties. Domesticating the Protocol on Digital Trade strengthens national digital frameworks.
#AfCFTADigitalTrade #ProtocolonDigitalTrade #Ratification #Domestication #Interoperability #Kenya
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
From commitments to coordinated implementation: Africa’s integration agenda depends on the AU, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms moving together.
H.E. @MeneWamkele , Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, attended the Eighth (8th) African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting on 4 October 2026 in El-Alamein, Arab Republic of Egypt.
Hon Dr. @MusaliaMudavadi , E.G.H., Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, representing H.E. President William Ruto as Chairperson of the AU Assembly Committee on #AfCFTA Implementation and Continental Integration, presented the report on AfCFTA implementation. H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, AU Champion on the AfCFTA, outlined priorities for accelerating implementation.
The meeting acknowledged progress and emphasised the need to expedite ratification of the legal instruments arising from the Phase II negotiations. It also highlighted the role of AfCFTA implementation, productive capacity, value addition and deeper intra-African trade in reducing Africa’s trade deficits with the rest of the world.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting is a principal @_AfricanUnion platform for coordinating the continental integration agenda. It brings together the AU, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms to review progress, align priorities and strengthen policy coherence and the division of labour required to advance Agenda 2063.
The Eighth Meeting considered the state of continental integration and priorities including AfCFTA implementation, regional value chains, cross-border trade and payments, industrial development, infrastructure and digital connectivity, peace and security, water and sanitation, and sustainable financing. This coordination is critical to ensuring that continental commitments are translated into practical implementation at regional and national levels.
#AfCFTA #AfricanIntegration #Agenda2063 #8thMYCM
Impressed by Namibia’s 🇳🇦 progress in domesticating the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade
It is encouraging to see the commitment and strides being made towards aligning national legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks with the Protocol on Digital Trade. This is an important step towards unlocking digital trade.
#AfCFTADigitalTrade #Namibia #CreatingOneAfricanMarket
Namibia is advancing the national implementation of the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.
In #Windhoek, policymakers, regulators and industry stakeholders are reviewing and validating findings from Namibia’s #AfCFTA Digital Trade Regulatory Assessment, examining the country’s legal, regulatory and institutional framework against the requirements of the Protocol.
The validated assessment will contribute towards a National Digital Trade Action Plan, identifying priority measures to address alignment gaps, strengthen Namibia’s digital trade framework and support domestication and implementation of the Protocol.
The exercise is part of the #AfCFTA Secretariat’s broader support to State Parties.
Other State Parties are encouraged to submit formal requests for similar technical assistance.
#AfCFTADigitalTrade #Namibia #CreatingOneAfricanMarket
‘The proliferation of digital wallets and other fintech applications across Africa, alongside established electronic payment channels, is creating financial records that lenders can use to assess cash generation and repayment capacity. Across markets in which it is viable, data-powered lending to MSMEs is shown to shorten processing times, lower costs and improve the quality of credit decisions.’
#DigitalPayments #MSMEs #AccessToFinance #AfCFTADigitalTrade
I am truly impressed by the progress the Republic of Sierra Leone has made in developing its digital trade regulatory landscape. The country has established a modern, strong and forward-looking framework that aligned to obligations under the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.
#AfCFTADigitalTrade
Sierra Leone is advancing the national implementation of the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.
Underway in Freetown from 23–25 September 2026, the Validation Workshop of #SierraLeone’s #AfCFTA Digital Trade Regulatory Assessment brings together policymakers, regulators and industry stakeholders to review and validate findings on the country’s existing legal, regulatory and institutional framework against the requirements of the Protocol.
With support from @ODI_Global , the process will contribute to the development of a national digital trade action plan setting out priority measures to address alignment gaps, strengthen Sierra Leone’s digital trade framework and support the domestication and implementation of the Protocol.
The exercise forms part of the #AfCFTA Secretariat’s broader efforts to support State Parties in aligning national laws, rules and regulations with the Protocol.
Other State Parties are encouraged to submit formal requests for similar technical assistance.
#DigitalTrade #SierraLeone #CreatingOneAfricanMarket
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
700 milliards de dollars d’ici 2035 : c’est le seuil que l’économie numérique africaine pourrait dépasser.
À #UnstoppableAfrica, S.E.M. Wamkele Mene a détaillé une opportunité qui recouvre dépenses de consommation et PIB, des paiements numériques au transfert et au traitement des données, de la banque mobile aux technologies de la santé et de l’agriculture.
Le Protocole sur le commerce numérique de la #ZLECAf fournit le cadre continental pour créer le bon environnement réglementaire, accompagner les technologies émergentes, dont l’IA, et élargir la participation des jeunes et des #PME.
Vidéo en anglais — Video in English
@GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #ZLECAf #CommerceNumérique #OneContinentOneClick #IA #PME
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
En marge de l’#AGNU à New York, S.E.M. Wamkele Mene a pris part à #UnstoppableAfrica 2026, rencontre phare de la Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), pour la conversation « One Continent, One Click ».
Il y a présenté le Protocole sur le commerce numérique de la #ZLECAf comme le cadre qui doit faire grandir l’économie numérique africaine, accompagner les technologies émergentes et élargir l’inclusion.
@GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #ZLECAf #CommerceNumérique
US$700 billion by 2035. That is the scale Africa's digital economy could exceed.
At #UnstoppableAfrica, H.E. Wamkele Mene highlighted an opportunity spanning consumer spending and GDP across digital payments, data transfers and processing, mobile banking, health technology and agricultural technology.
The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade provides the continental framework to create the right regulatory environment, nurture emerging technologies, including AI, and widen participation for young people and SMEs.
@GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #OneContinentOneClick #AI #SMEs
On the margins of #UNGA in New York, H.E. Wamkele Mene participated in #UnstoppableAfrica 2026, the flagship event of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), joining the fireside chat “One Continent, One Click: Creating Africa's Digital Trade Age”.
GABI positions Africa as a premier destination for business, trade and investment. H.E. Mene highlighted the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade as a framework for growing Africa's digital economy, nurturing emerging technologies and widening inclusion.
@GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #AfCFTA #DigitalTrade
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
Africa's digital single market is moving from rules to commercial reality.
The @AfCFTA Secretariat and Quest Ghana Limited have signed a joint venture agreement to operationalise the AfCFTA Digital Trade Corridor, headquartered in Seychelles.
The Corridor will connect an African minerals and commodities exchange, interoperable cross-border payments building on platforms such as PAPSS, and a continent-wide marketplace integrating trade, payments and logistics.
The ambition is to enable SMEs to trade across borders, move payments seamlessly between African currencies and deliver goods efficiently across the continent.
Watch the video for more.
#AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #CreatingOneAfricanMarket #ADTC
On this #InternationalIDDay, I would like to highlight the commitment by AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade State Parties to provide digital IDs as an enabler of trade under the AfCFTA.
Digital ID can help facilitate cross-border trade by strengthening trust, enabling secure and seamless transactions (eKYC), and advancing digital and financial inclusion across the African continent.
It can help make it easier for people and businesses to participate in Africa’s growing digital economy.
#AfCFTADigitalTrade #DigitalID #DigitalInclusion #FinancialInclusion
Dr. Talkmore Chidede (LLD) retweeted
Africa's ideas should not lose their value at the border.
On 10 September, the #AfCFTA Secretariat marked #2026AIPD under the theme, "Growing Business Under the #AfCFTA IP Ecosystem".
The discussion examined how stronger intellectual property frameworks can help African businesses protect, commercialise and finance intangible assets as they expand across markets.
The programme also featured My IP Story and the SG Prize. Protecting African innovation is a business, investment and trade imperative.
#AfCFTA #IntellectualProperty #CreatingOneAfricanMarket
Join us at 10:00AM GMT.
Today, 10 September, we mark Africa IP Day 2026 under the theme “Growing Business Under the AfCFTA IP Ecosystem”.
Join us online for a discussion on the challenges and opportunities involved in growing businesses built around intangible assets and attracting investment across African markets.
Business owners, innovators, creators, investors and intellectual property practitioners: be part of the conversation on how intellectual property can support business growth.
10 September 2026 | 10:00 AM GMT | Online via Zoom
Register: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_…
Enquiries: [email protected]
#2026AIPD #AfCFTA #IntellectualProperty #CreatingOneAfricanMarket
Africa's digital single market is moving from rules to commercial reality.
The @AfCFTA Secretariat and Quest Ghana Limited have signed a joint venture agreement to operationalise the AfCFTA Digital Trade Corridor, headquartered in Seychelles.
The Corridor will connect an African minerals and commodities exchange, interoperable cross-border payments building on platforms such as PAPSS, and a continent-wide marketplace integrating trade, payments and logistics.
The ambition is to enable SMEs to trade across borders, move payments seamlessly between African currencies and deliver goods efficiently across the continent.
Watch the video for more.
#AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #CreatingOneAfricanMarket #ADTC