WTO and World Bank Complete Digital Trade Pilot Across Six African Nations

The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Bank have successfully concluded the pilot phase of their joint initiative, Digital Trade for Africa (DTA), with the release of digital trade assessments for six African nations: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda. The findings were presented to WTO members during an information session on 25 September 2025, following their release at the WTO Public Forum earlier this month.

The DTA project, launched officially at the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024, aims to help African countries harness the full benefits of digital trade, strengthen their participation in global e-commerce, and address regulatory and infrastructure gaps.

Building on Early Foundations

In her opening remarks, WTO Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill highlighted the project’s progress since its inception. She recalled that the joint WTO–World Bank policy note shared with African officials in July 2023 first called for a supportive regulatory environment for digital trade. The pilot phase then moved into full-scale reviews across six countries to identify tailored policy actions.

“Delegations have encouraged partnerships with relevant institutions to address the digital divide, including through gap analyses and readiness assessments. This project demonstrates a concrete example of such partnership,” Hill said.

She added that interest has already emerged in expanding the initiative, including a new, similar programme launched in Latin America and the Caribbean with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Key Findings from the Pilot Studies

Experts from the WTO and World Bank shared insights from the six national assessments:

Connectivity and Infrastructure

According to Antonia Carzaniga (WTO), connectivity foundations such as electricity access, internet availability, affordability, and usage have improved significantly in the past decade across the six pilot countries. Trade in digitally delivered services has also been on a steady upward trend, positioning these nations to deepen their participation in digital trade.

Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

Carzaniga emphasized the role of WTO agreements in enabling digital trade:

• The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) ensures openness and predictability in digital-enabling services such as telecommunications and finance.

• The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) eliminates tariffs on ICT goods like smartphones and computers.

• The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) streamlines customs procedures, vital for businesses that depend on fast delivery.

She noted that bilateral and regional trade agreements also complement WTO rules by enhancing digital trade commitments.

Regulatory Gaps

Martin Molinuevo (World Bank) presented the findings of the Digital Trade Gap Analysis, which benchmarks national regulatory practices against global best practices. While progress has been made in areas like electronic invoicing, e-signatures, and e-contracts, frameworks for cross-border data flows and consumer protection remain weak and require urgent attention.

Practical Tools and Future Use

A central output of the pilot phase is a digital trade assessment template, developed jointly by the WTO and World Bank, that can be replicated in other countries. The tool allows policymakers to benchmark infrastructure and regulatory environments against international standards while encouraging inter-agency collaboration at the national level.

The World Bank also shared updates on its support for regional integration efforts, particularly the African Union’s Single Digital Market Vision 2030. This vision seeks to build a continent-wide digital market by strengthening cross-border broadband, data flow regulation, and e-payment systems.

Next Steps: Tailor-Made Assistance

Closing the session, WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang stressed the importance of moving from assessments to actionable support:

“We intend to help these pilot countries leverage global best practices and mobilize donor support for drafting and enforcing relevant laws and regulations. In the next phase of the DTA project, we will work with each pilot country individually to provide a tailor-made technical assistance programme.”

He also emphasized the need to expand partnerships with diverse donors, ensuring that lessons learned from the African pilot can be scaled to other developing regions.

Looking Ahead

With the successful completion of its pilot, the Digital Trade for Africa project is now positioned to become a key driver of Africa’s participation in global digital trade. By addressing regulatory gaps, improving connectivity, and fostering inclusive policies, the initiative aims to enable African nations to benefit more fully from e-commerce and digitally delivered services — strengthening not only trade but also sustainable economic development.

The six assessment reports and the stocktake note are available on the WTO’s dedicated Digital Trade for Africa project page.