Uganda is seeking harmonised digital trade rules across Africa to ease cross-border payments, customs clearance and delivery, helping local businesses reach regional markets at lower cost.
Uganda is pushing for harmonised digital trade rules across Africa to help local businesses overcome barriers involving cross-border payments, customs procedures and delivery that limit their access to regional markets.
Trade Minister Sanjay Tanna said Uganda must help shape the policies and systems governing the continent’s digital economy, as private sector players called for closer cooperation with government to make cross-border transactions easier and less costly.
“Uganda must help shape the rules and systems that will determine how Africa trades in the digital economy,” Tanna said ahead of the Africa Technology and Intellectual Property Symposium scheduled for October 22–23 in Kampala.
He said digital trade could enable cooperatives, manufacturers and creative entrepreneurs to reach customers beyond Uganda, but businesses needed predictable regulations, reliable payment systems and efficient delivery networks to benefit.
“Digital trade connects these priorities: it can help a cooperative find buyers, a manufacturer access regional distribution, and a creative entrepreneur earn from intellectual property across borders,” Tanna said.
The government wants the initiative to support its Tenfold Growth Strategy and ambition to build a $500 billion economy by 2040. It also aligns with the Ministry of Trade’s 2025–2030 strategic priorities, which include value addition, export market access and removing barriers to trade.
However, businesses say regulatory and infrastructure challenges must be addressed before more enterprises can take advantage of online commerce.
Kenneth Muhangi, a co-convenor of the symposium, said traders using platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp to sell products increasingly encounter difficulties when serving customers outside Uganda.
These include payment arrangements, customs procedures, delivery costs and uncertainty over which regulations apply when cross-border transactions go wrong.
“For a small enterprise, those costs can put a new market out of reach,” Muhangi said at a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre on October 15.
He urged the government to work more closely with industry associations, saying businesses had technical knowledge and practical experience that could help authorities develop workable solutions.
Muhangi cited internet service providers’ concerns about congestion involving poles used for internet infrastructure, arguing that industry players needed better coordination with government on permissions and technical standards.
He also said investors in financial technology needed clear regulatory requirements and confidence that they could operate in a predictable business environment.
“There is interest in investing here, but investors need confidence that they can enter the market, understand the requirements and do business with ease,” he said.
The push comes as Uganda seeks to translate regional integration commitments under the East African Community (EAC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into practical benefits for businesses operating online.
The EAC Customs Union and Common Market frameworks provide for regional trade and the movement of goods and services, while the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade establishes principles intended to reduce barriers and improve interoperability across African markets.
Tanna said traders should be able to understand the applicable rules, complete documentation and move eligible consignments across borders without avoidable delays.
He added that digital trade reforms needed to address payments, customs clearance, consumer protection and delivery as interconnected issues. Taxation arrangements, he said, should balance government revenue needs with business competitiveness and compliance costs.
Muhangi cited Uganda’s Electronic Single Window, implemented through cooperation involving the Uganda Revenue Authority and TradeMark Africa, as an example of how streamlining trade procedures could reduce costs for businesses.
According to Muhangi, TradeMark Africa reported that traders using the system saved $26.4 million in 2021 through reduced clearance times and paperless transactions.
He said such savings could free up resources for businesses to invest in stock, equipment and employment.