Conclusion and Policy Recommendations: Creating an Enabling Business Ecosystem for Fostering Trade Opportunities in the Digital Age

Abstract

Over the last decades, commerce has continued to serve as one of the strategic enablers of the African economy. With the recent changes in its trade and international diplomacy, policies focusing on the strategic role of digital trade cannot be overemphasized as the African economy prepares itself for disruptive changes in selected sectors. This concluding chapter presents how the ongoing transition to a digital economy could play out in Africa and the implications for its business opportunities, economic trajectory and policies implementation dynamics. This economic foresight does not aim to predict the future or prescribe policies certainties. Rather, it aims to provide knowledgable tools towards enhancingdecision-making capacities in anticipating and addressing Africa’s trade, regional integration and sustainable development challenges. Further, as we identify and capture the benefits that may ariseas the economy creates an enabling environment for the implementation of digital tools, these transformative instruments are crucial for fostering trade opportunities and the realization of economic buoyancy.