Beyond Digital Adoption: AI-Enabled Export Readiness and Responsible Digital Internationalisation of African SMEs under the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly use social media, mobile money, e-commerce platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to reach customers across borders. Digital adoption, however, does not necessarily establish export readiness. Firms may gain online visibility without developing the compliance, logistics, payment, data governance, standards and trust capabilities needed for sustained internationalisation. This paper develops an evidence-informed conceptual framework explaining how AI-enabled digital capabilities can support SME export readiness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol. The study integrates peer-reviewed research, AfCFTA legal texts, international development reports and national AI policy documents, supplemented by an illustrative comparison of policy environments in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt. The synthesis identifies potential roles for AI in market intelligence, buyer discovery, localisation, pricing, compliance preparation, demand forecasting and risk assessment. However, these benefits remain conditional on institutional readiness, interoperable payments, data protection, cybersecurity, standards infrastructure, fulfilment capacity and SME-sensitive policy implementation. The proposed framework distinguishes digital adoption from export readiness, identifies AI-enabled sensing, seizing and reconfiguring mechanisms and situates firm capabilities within the institutional conditions of continental digital trade. The study offers a practical export-readiness matrix for policymakers, export promotion agencies and SME managers seeking inclusive and responsible digital internationalisation in Africa.
Authors: Sixbert Sangwa, Placide Mutabazi
Institutions: African Leadership University, Open Christian University
Language: English
Subfield: Business and International Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7221557776