Un des responsables de la African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) announced on Thursday 30 March 2023, on the sidelines of a business forum that took place in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, that the zone strives to use local currencies in trade between the countries of the continent.

The Secretary General of the Zlecaf, Wamkele Mene believes that cross-border trade between the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is already taking place through the use of local currencies rather than the US dollar. According to him, the ZLECAF is now thinking of expanding to other regional blocks, in particular the East African Community, which is in talks with the African Export-Import Bank. For him, the cost of currency convertibility linked to the use of the American dollar in trade between African countries was nearly five billion dollars per year.