Angolan technology company AFROFINTEK and the Republic of Congo's Ministry of Commerce, Procurement and Consumer Affairs — the ministry responsible for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) — have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Luanda to advance the modernisation and digitalisation of trade between the two countries.
The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration between the two parties to identify and deploy digital solutions addressing the challenges facing Congolese commerce, while bringing merchants, businesses and consumers closer to new technological tools.
The MoU was formalised during a working visit by a Congolese delegation to Angola between 28 September and 1 October. Alongside the signing ceremony, the delegation visited Angola's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone and a number of manufacturing facilities, with the aim of learning from Angola's national experience in production, industry and investment.
During the visit, AFROFINTEK presented several of the solutions it has developed for the African market, including AFROLOC, YAMIOO, SUMBA and YAMILOOK — platforms designed to facilitate access by citizens, merchants and enterprises to the digital economy.
The memorandum also provides for the joint assessment of projects including a National Trade Portal, the Congo Market Connect platform, digital credit solutions targeting merchants, and the technical infrastructure required to support their rollout. The priorities and corresponding technical and operational models are to be defined jointly by the two parties.
'Our objective is to transform everyday challenges into digital opportunities and to demonstrate that solutions created in Africa can scale across the entire continent,' said António Henriques da Silva, founder of AFROFINTEK.
According to the company, the next phase of the partnership will focus on identifying priority projects and defining implementation models for the Republic of Congo, building on the preparatory contacts and technical work already carried out between the two sides.
AFROFINTEK develops digital solutions in the areas of addressing, commerce, logistics and financial inclusion, designed specifically to address the realities of African markets. The group also maintains a European presence through AFROFINTEK GmbH, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, and an operational base in Africa through AFROFINTEK, Lda., based in Luanda, Angola.
The company's strategy envisages the progressive expansion of its footprint to other African countries through the establishment of local entities and institutional and corporate partnerships, with the broader aim of building a technology ecosystem capable of operating locally while achieving regional and continental scale.
Source: AngoRussia / Original article: https://angorussia.com/afrofintek-e-republica-do-congo-reforcam-cooperacao-para-a-digitalizacao-do-comercio-africano/
