What You Need to Know:
Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria lead the ADAPT pilot to enhance cross-border digital trade.The initiative integrates digital identity, payment rails, and data exchange for seamless operations.ADAPT is developed with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the IOTA Foundation, the Tony Blair Institute, and the WEF.Lessons from the pilots will guide expansion to other African nations for a unified single market.
Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria will lead the first phase of Africa’s ADAPT initiative to enhance digital trade infrastructure. The program aims to create interoperable digital systems for payments, identity, and cross-border data exchange.
Pilot Countries to Operationalise Digital Trade
According to a report by IOTA, the three countries are set to roll out digital identity systems, integrated payment rails, and secure cross-border data exchange. In practice, national frameworks will align with continental interoperability standards, enabling trade activities to move smoothly.
This method will also address delays and inefficiencies that still arise from paper-based procedures across African borders, which, frankly, is a common headache.
To keep things coordinated, the pilot countries will set up ADAPT Country Implementation Forums to bring stakeholders together and track progress.
Early steps will concentrate on digitising trade documentation and enabling faster, more secure transactions for businesses. The choice of Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria came after a careful selection process that considered political will and technical capacity, not just ambition.
Additionally, co-financing readiness and engagement with the private sector will be major selection criteria. The three countries will test governance frameworks and regulatory approaches, including the integration of digital currency.
Lessons from the pilots will guide expansion to other African nations. The initiative will provide practical insights for harmonising digital trade infrastructure across the continent.
Collaboration and Technical Support
ADAPT is a partnership between the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Tony Blair Institute, the IOTA Foundation, and the World Economic Forum. The initiative builds on the interoperable digital trade infrastructure TWIN to enable trusted data exchange.
Dominik Schiener, co-founder of the IOTA Foundation, said, “ADAPT is creating a shared, interoperable foundation where trade data can be verified and exchanged securely across borders.”
The collaboration provides technical support and guidance for implementing digital identity, payments, and data systems in pilot countries. Furthermore, the program will enable enterprises of all sizes to access digital payment solutions, including potential stablecoin integration.
Implementation teams will coordinate with national authorities to align systems with continental standards. Frank Matsaert of the Tony Blair Institute said, “By embedding digital trust and interoperability, we are laying the foundation for a connected African market.”
Chido Munyati from the World Economic Forum added, “ADAPT supports frameworks that make trade faster, transparent, and inclusive for all stakeholders.”
The initiative aims to reduce trade friction and strengthen Africa’s role in global value chains. Through ADAPT, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria will set a model for cross-border digital trade across Africa. Pilot projects will demonstrate real-world use cases for secure, efficient, and interoperable systems.
Originally published at https://cryptoafrica.news on May 20, 2026.
Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria lead the ADAPT Digital Trade pilot was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.