A new digital trade initiative has been unveiled by Chii.africa, Zimo Clan, and Maistrade Multipurpose Cooperative Federation Limited, to grant small businesses, farmers, and cooperatives across Africa improved access to regional markets.
This digital ecosystem addresses major cross-border trade barriers like poor visibility, weak infrastructure, and trust issues regarding transaction and product authenticity.
The promoters are using advanced digital verification to connect local agriculture and manufacturing with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market.
The newly created digital infrastructure will equip small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with automated tools for digital identity verification, trade traceability, cooperative finance, and cross-border trade coordination.
These tools are to eliminate the historical friction points that have prevented local businesses from scaling beyond domestic boundaries.
Under this framework, farmers will gain direct entry into vast crop aggregation networks, while small-scale manufacturers will link up with structured regional value chains and verified buyers across multiple African borders.
For grassroots cooperatives, the platform introduces specialised software to simplify member management, handle collective savings coordination, and track commercial participation.
The President and Chief Vision Officer of Maistrade Multipurpose Cooperative Federation Limited, Benjamin Okei Aduli, emphasised that developing dependable digital pipelines is essential for modern trade.
“Trusted trade networks and digital infrastructure will play a critical role in expanding economic opportunities for African producers and entrepreneurs,” he stated.
The initiative is designed to be highly interoperable, allowing businesses in different countries to interact without facing regulatory or technological barriers.
The Architect of Chii.africa, Tauya Langton Makoni, noted that the alliance focuses on engineering a smart, transparent environment where every commodity can be securely tracked from farm to destination.
The promoters confirmed that the onboarding of participants has already commenced, with plans underway to expand rapidly into new markets using established cooperative unions.
Trade observers expect the rollout to significantly boost intra-African commerce, particularly within the agribusiness, mineral commodities, and light manufacturing sectors.
Source: The National Online
