ECOWAS E-Commerce Forum Launches Unified Cross-Border Digital Settlement Portal in Accra for MSME Exporters
Digital trade ministers from across West Africa have inaugurated the regional E-Commerce acceleration framework in Accra, deploying zero-fee instant settlement tools for women entrepreneurs and agro-processors across all 15 member states.
Executive Intelligence Brief
- Zero-tariff digital merchant passport deployed across 15 West African nations.
- Instant settlement in local currencies powered by the PAPSS regional payment engine.
- Direct integration with national postal and customs clearance APIs.
- $14 billion in informal border commerce brought into formal digital monitoring.
ACCRA, GHANA — The ECOWAS Commission, in conjunction with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation of Ghana, has officially launched the ECOWAS E-Commerce Regional Platform during an executive forum in Accra, creating the first standardized cross-border merchant passport for West African SMEs.
The initiative connects national postal and logistics agencies with regional instant payment switches, enabling a merchant in Kumasi, Bobo-Dioulasso, or Kano to list products online and receive settlement in their domestic currency within three seconds of transit barcode scanning.
The launch follows the successful integration of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) across commercial banks in Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, which eliminates the historic requirement of converting local cedi, naira, or leone balances through third-party US dollars or euros.
Addressing delegates, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs Massandjé Toure-Litse noted that cross-border digital retail is projected to unlock $14 billion in informal trade that previously escaped official regional statistics.
Byline: Mawuli Tsikata · Published: Friday, October 30, 2026
PLEASE PLACE AD HERE
High-impact in-feed banner reaching regional institutional decision-makers
Reserve This Slot · advertising@westafricanweb.com →