Kenya has unveiled two digital trade platforms — BiasharaLink and Deal House — aimed at transforming African embassies into active commercial hubs, marking a significant shift from policy dialogue to transaction-driven implementation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The platforms were launched on Thursday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the sidelines of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit.
The high-level reception brought together senior government officials, ambassadors, African Union representatives, multilateral institutions, and private sector leaders.
Closing Africa’s “Trade Execution Gap”
The initiative seeks to address what leaders described as Africa’s persistent “trade execution gap” — the disconnect between signed trade agreements and actual cross-border commercial transactions.
The platforms were developed in partnership with Real Sources Africa, Kenya’s designated AfCFTA Trading Company, with support from Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Equity Group Holdings.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi described the move as the dawn of a new era in economic diplomacy.
“BiasharaLink and Deal House represent a new model of economic diplomacy; one that is results-oriented. It provides a common platform for capturing and organising opportunity. It connects opportunity to execution. Together, the platforms turn diplomacy into delivery,” Mudavadi said.
From Agreements to Financed Transactions
Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi characterized the launch as a structural turning point for Africa’s trade architecture.
“Africa does not suffer from lack of opportunity. We suffer from lack of structured execution. When we institutionalise execution, growth becomes predictable,” Mwangi said.
He argued that while AfCFTA has laid the groundwork for integration, the real challenge lies in converting commitments into financed, bankable transactions.
“A trade agreement is a promise. A financed transaction is progress. Our role is to bridge that gap,” he added.
Mwangi described the government-private sector partnership as the building of a “trade superhighway,” anchored on digital infrastructure that connects producers, buyers, logistics providers, and financiers into one seamless system.
“Digital infrastructure is the new trade corridor. Integration becomes real the moment a product crosses a border, a payment is settled, and value is created on both sides.”
Supporting SMEs Through Structured Access
According to Mwangi, Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are competitive but lack structured market and financing access.
“Africa’s SMEs are competitive. What they require is structured access to markets and finance. When you solve that, you unlock scale.”
He emphasized the need to shift trade from informal networks to institutional systems that foster transparency, confidence, and capital inflows.
How the Platforms Work
BiasharaLink will operate as a digital registry where diplomatic missions, exporters, and investors formally capture and track trade and investment opportunities aligned with AfCFTA priorities.
Deal House will function as the execution layer — validating opportunities, matching credible counterparties, linking transactions to financing, and pushing them toward contract closure.
Felix Chege, Founder and CEO of Real Sources Africa, noted the initiative was inspired by striking data.
“Our embassies collect about 3,500 trade enquiries monthly, but the closure rate of deals was less than one per cent. Our goal is to build the infrastructure and ecosystems that drive trade, investment, and financing across the continent.”
Strategic Context Amid Global Disruptions
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said the launch comes amid increasing global supply chain disruptions and rising protectionism.
“As the world moves closer to supply chain disruptions and increased industrial protectionism, our continent is moving in the opposite direction. We have no alternative but to succeed; we must build a strong domestic market,” Mene said.
Mathias Kamp, Regional Director at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, observed that five years after its launch, AfCFTA’s potential remains largely untapped.
“The AfCFTA needs to move to the next level. I am convinced that what we are launching today will be a significant step forward in unlocking trade.”
Kenya’s Expanding Role in AfCFTA Leadership
The launch reinforces Nairobi’s strategy of anchoring foreign policy on measurable commercial outcomes.
It aligns with President William Ruto’s leadership role in AfCFTA implementation, where he chairs the AU Assembly Committee of Heads of State and Government on AfCFTA implementation and serves as Co-Champion of the Digital Trade Protocol.
With digital trade execution placed at the centre of discussions ahead of key AU meetings in Addis Ababa, Kenya is positioning technology-driven systems as the new engine of continental economic integration.
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