Reading · Women in Geopolitics

Africa has a continental free trade agreement. But can African businesses actually use it easily?

For Karen, the answer lies not only in the ambition of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), but in what happens when an entrepreneur tries to trade across an African border.

In her contribution to Women in Geopolitics, Karen brings the conversation down from the big continental frameworks to what she calls the “boring bits”—the regulations, tariffs, customs processes, travel requirements, payments, data systems and information that determine whether businesses can actually trade.

Her message is simple: the big vision will only succeed when the small barriers are removed.

AfCFTA provides a rules-based framework intended to increase intra-African trade and investment. But for businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, navigating the different tariff schedules, certificates of origin, regional trade arrangements and protocols can be complicated.

One of the most immediate solutions, Karen argues, is information.

Businesses need to know what they can already trade, under what conditions, what tariffs apply and how to access the available mechanisms. If this information is difficult to find or understand, the benefits of AfCFTA remain largely theoretical.

And trade is about much more than tariffs.

Visas, transport connections, customs procedures, regulatory differences, payments, digital systems and the movement of data can all become barriers to doing business across borders. For an African entrepreneur, these “small” frictions can ultimately make cross-border trade too costly or slow.

Karen also makes an important point about Africa’s digital visibility.

As businesses increasingly use artificial intelligence and digital platforms to research markets and develop business strategies, African economic information must be readily available online.

“If our information isn’t even available digitally, then it’s almost as if we don’t exist.”

This is more than a technology issue. It is a question of how Africa presents itself to its own businesses—and to the global investment community.

Karen believes Africa has a compelling growth story to tell. But the continent must make it easier for businesses to discover opportunities, connect with one another, travel, invest and trade.

And perhaps most importantly, Africans need to use AfCFTA.

The more businesses use the system, the more clearly the remaining bottlenecks will become visible—and the stronger the case for governments to address them.

Africa’s trade integration will therefore not happen through agreements alone.

It will happen when those agreements become practical, accessible and usable for the businesses and entrepreneurs they were designed to serve.

The Women in Geopolitics Debate Series is a high-level thought-leadership platform dedicated to amplifying African voices, particularly women’s voices, in conversations on geopolitics, global affairs, governance, leadership and development.

Through dialogue with women leaders, diplomats, policymakers, business leaders, academics and experts from across Africa and beyond, the programme is building a growing archive of African women’s perspectives on the issues shaping our continent and our world.

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Madelein Mkunu is the President of Leading Women of Africa (LWA), a Pan-African social enterprise promoting women's leadership in economic development, and the founder of Beyond Boundaries, a global content and advocacy platform amplifying African women’s voices in policy, peacebuilding, and development. A bilingual English–French strategist and accomplished public speaker, she brings over 20 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, inclusive governance, and stakeholder engagement across Africa and globally. She holds an MBA and a Master’s in Management from IEDC-Bled School of Management (Slovenia), a Postgraduate Degree in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), a Certificate in Leadership from the Dale Carnegie Institute, and is an alumna of Michigan State University’s Women Empowerment Programme. With a background in accounting and a passion for transformative change, Madelein is a trusted advisor to institutions seeking Africa-rooted development solutions.

Karen Bosman: Africa’s Trade Revolution Will Be Built on the Small Things

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