When Old-School Diplomacy Delays Progress, Trade

When china recently announced the removal of trade tariffs for 53 African countries, it wasn’t just a trade gesture, it was a wake-up call for African leaders and institutions.

Thousands of miles away, China is actively reducing trade barriers and simplifying market access for African goods.

Back home, however, African countries still tax each other, delay shipments at borders, and frustrate entrepreneurs with red tape and outdated rules.

If China – with no shared borders or history of regional integration with Africa – can open its markets to us, what excuse do we have for not doing the same for ourselves?

This contradiction is central to Africa’s economic stagnation.

While foreign partners are embracing African trade, we continue to sabotage ourselves with bureaucracy and diplomatic inertia.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was launched in 2018 with great ambition: To eliminate tariffs on 90% of goods, harmonise regulations, and allow the free movement of people and capital across Africa.

It was envisioned as the world’s largest free trade area by a number of participating countries.

Yet seven years later, the promise remains largely unmet.

Tariffs still apply between many African nations. Border delays persist.

Road, rail, and air transport are expensive and unreliable. Non-tariff barriers – quotas, permits, and licencing bottlenecks – make cross-border trade tedious and costly.

Small traders, especially women and youth, are often hit the hardest.

In practice, a coffee producer in Kenya or a textile manufacturer in Namibia may find it easier to export to China than to a neighbouring African country.

That’s a damning indictment of the status quo.

So, what’s holding us back? One of the biggest culprits is bureaucracy – and its twin siblings: Protectionism and lack of political will.

Instead of bold, coordinated implementation, we see endless summits, communiqués and workshops.

Documents are signed, photos taken, but action stalls.

Countries hesitate to open borders to their neighbours, fearing competition, revenue loss or domestic backlash.

One example is the relationship between Kenya and Namibia – two friendly African nations.

Since 1991, the two have signed 22 agreements covering key areas like healthcare, education, aviation, agriculture, and trade.

Yet most of these agreements remain unimplemented.

What is stopping us?

Why are these agreements – decades old – gathering dust while our embassies and high commissions operate with full staff, ample budgets and well-paid diplomats?

If our diplomatic institutions aren’t delivering real, measurable trade outcomes, what exactly are they doing?
 
USEFUL LESSONS
 
Other regions offer useful lessons.

The European Union, despite deep historical divisions, has created a seamless single market where goods, people and capital move freely.

Success was built on bold, decisive integration – not endless talk.

Even China is moving faster to enable African trade than we are internally.

Its tariff-free deal for 53 African countries shows that where there is political will, there is a way.

Africa, by contrast, is rich in potential but poor in follow-through.

We have 1.4 billion people, a combined gross domestic product of over US$3 trillion and some of the world’s most dynamic economies.

Yet potential alone won’t create jobs or lift millions from poverty. Trade – real trade – will.

If Africa truly seeks economic transformation, we must cut the red tape.

Tariffs must fall. Customs systems must be digitised and streamlined.

Air and land transport must be liberalised to reduce costs and increase mobility.

Most importantly, countries must recommit to AfCFTA, not in speeches, but in action.

Entrepreneurs – especially women and youth – must be able to trade across borders without harassment, extortion or endless paperwork.

FOCUS ON AFRICA

It’s time we stopped invoking pan-Africanism only during election campaigns and started living it through our policies.

It’s time we trust each other enough to do business with each other.

If distant partners like China can trust us with access to their markets, why can’t we extend the same courtesy to one another?

Let’s build an Africa where intra-continental trade is the norm, not the exception. Let’s make AfCFTA real, for the benefit of our businesses, our youth and generations to come.
 
– Elvis Mboya is president of the Namibia-Kenya Chamber of Commerce and a former journalist in Namibia and Kenya.

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