Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
By Maria Kalamatas | The Logistic News
May 27, 2025 – Section: World
A quiet but steady shift is underway across Africa: regional trade is gaining traction, not through bold declarations, but by solving problems at the ground level. As of this week, a new wave of customs coordination measures under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been activated, smoothing the flow of goods across borders.
For years, the cost and complexity of intra-African logistics left many businesses cut off from neighboring markets. Now, streamlined procedures and joint customs platforms are beginning to change that. In cities like Nairobi, Accra and Dar es Salaam, trucks are clearing border posts in hours, not days.
“We’ve waited a long time for this kind of coordination,” said Judith Achieng, a transport coordinator in Mombasa. “It’s still early, but we can feel the difference already.”
Several transport corridors — notably the Abidjan-Lagos route and the Central East African road network — have received upgrades in recent months. These improvements, combined with unified tariff codes and digitized clearance tools, are allowing mid-sized exporters to expand their reach without facing prohibitive costs.
Importantly, this shift is not being driven by large multinationals, but by regional entrepreneurs: agribusiness producers, textile cooperatives, and freight startups who now find it possible to operate across borders with predictability.
“Trade isn’t global by default. Sometimes, it starts next door,” noted Kwame Addo, a regional logistics analyst based in Accra. “This is Africa learning to trade with itself — finally.”
The AfCFTA still faces hurdles, including infrastructure gaps and regulatory delays. But for many inside the system, this phase marks something more valuable than policy: functionality.
✎ Maria Kalamatas
Senior Correspondent – African Trade & Regional Markets
The Logistic News
