PANews reported on November 17th, citing CoinDesk, that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in conjunction with the IOTA Foundation, has launched a digital trade initiative that places stablecoin-based settlements at the heart of reshaping the way goods flow across borders in Africa. An announcement released Monday revealed that the Africa Digital Trade Access and Public Infrastructure Initiative (ADAPT), established in partnership with the Tony Blair Institute and the World Economic Forum (WEF), will build a shared, open-source digital public infrastructure for Africa's 55 member states. The initiative aims to enable instant cross-border payments, verifiable digital trade documents, and interoperable digital identity authentication. While positioned as a modernization of trade processes, stakeholders indicate that stablecoins, particularly USDT, are expected to be a key driver of its widespread adoption.

The ADAPT program will initially launch in Kenya, Ghana, and an unconfirmed third country (possibly in North Africa), before expanding to the rest of Africa starting in 2026, with the goal of integrating all 55 AfCFTA member countries by 2035. AfCFTA anticipates that digitalization will double the size of intra-African trade, unlocking $70 billion in trade value and generating $23.6 billion in annual economic benefits.