Experts have highlighted the importance of macroeconomic stability, infrastructure investment, and digital innovation in driving Africa’s economic growth, with a focus on implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
This was contained in the Colloquium issued at the end of the third Prof Uche Uwaleke (PUU) Biennial Colloquium on the Capital Market held in Abuja with the theme: ‘“Future-Proofing Africa-wide Economic Integration: Infrastructure, Innovation, and Capital Markets’.
The event convened policymakers, academics, regulators, legislators, and capital market operators to deliberate on strategies for strengthening Africa’s economic integration in an era of rapid technological, geopolitical, and macroeconomic change.
Participants acknowledged the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in expanding intra-African trade, deepening industrialization, and catalyzing cross-border investment flows.
However, the Colloquium emphasized that signing trade agreements is only the first step; effective implementation, regulatory harmonization, and macroeconomic stability are indispensable to achieving measurable outcomes.
The Colloquium underscored that sustainable Africa-wide integration requires macroeconomic convergence, price stability, fiscal discipline, exchange rate predictability, and credible monetary policy frameworks, saying that without stability, long-term infrastructure financing and cross border capital mobility remain vulnerable to shocks.
It highlighted the urgent need for coordinated investments in transport networks, energy systems, and digital infrastructure, explaining that “while the AfCFTA provides a robust legal framework, non-tariff barriers, customs inefficiencies, and fragmented standards continue to constrain intra-African trade. Greater alignment with global trade obligations under the World Trade Organization and improved trade facilitation systems were identified as priorities.”
The Colloquium stressed, “the need for interoperable settlement systems, harmonized listing requirements, and coordinated regulatory oversight across African exchanges. Operational infrastructure, including registrars, clearing houses, custodians, and digital shareholder services, must be technologically integrated to enable seamless cross border investment.”
It further noted that “the integrity of financial reporting was recognized as the bedrock of investor confidence. Professional bodies, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, were encouraged to deepen collaboration with sister institutions across Africa to ensure uniform accounting, auditing, and ethical standards.”
It called for enabling legislation to support fintech innovation, digital identity systems, data governance frameworks, and cybersecurity standards. Regulatory sandboxes were recommended to balance innovation with consumer protection.
It pointed out that “the potential of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), including Nigeria’s eNaira, to facilitate faster and more transparent cross-border payments was acknowledged. However, participants cautioned that interoperability, cybersecurity resilience, and public trust are critical to ensuring CBDCs unify rather than fragment markets.
“African universities were urged to redesign curricula to reflect regional economic realities and promote research collaboration across borders. Building policy thinkers with continental perspectives was described as essential to the long-term success of integration.
“Strong parliamentary oversight, transparency mechanisms, and institutional safeguards were recommended to ensure that integration policies remain consistent across political cycles.”
The Colloquium advocated for greater macroeconomic coordination among African countries to enhance investment predictability; promote harmonization of capital market regulations and operational systems to enable seamless cross-border trading and settlement; support policy reforms that eliminate non-tariff trade barriers and accelerate AfCFTA implementation; encourage the development of innovative infrastructure financing instruments, including green and diaspora bonds; strengthen professional collaboration among accounting, auditing, and financial regulatory bodies across Africa; among others.
The Colloquium reaffirmed that Africa’s integration must be deliberate, coordinated, and future-oriented. Infrastructure must connect markets physically and digitally.
“Innovation must unlock productivity and competitiveness. Capital markets must mobilize long-term savings into transformative investments,” it stated.
