The International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Education (ICAIED 2025), hosted by the University of Kigali from 8–12 December, continues to position Rwanda as a continental hub for AI-driven innovation, research, and educational transformation. Among the notable events, the Afreximbank Special Session highlights AI’s role in accelerating AfCFTA implementation at ICAIED 2025. The week-long conference has drawn over 250 distinguished participants, including educators, AI innovators, policymakers, diplomats, industry leaders, and development partners, to discuss the future of teacher education, governance, and digital transformation across Africa.
Among the highlights of this year’s conference was the Afreximbank Special Session, a landmark engagement that reaffirmed the Bank’s leadership as the Gold Sponsor of ICAIED 2025 and its central role in shaping Africa’s digital trade ecosystem. Held on Thursday, December 10, the session underscored the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), economic integration, and the continent’s broader development agenda.
The session opened with a compelling Africa Trade Gateway (ATG) corporate video, which showcased Afreximbank’s suite of expanding digital platforms designed to accelerate intra-African trade. The video highlighted innovative solutions such as PAPSS, ATG, and other trade facilitation tools that are enabling faster, more secure, and more affordable cross-border commercial activity.
This introduction set the stage for a powerful lead paper presentation by Dr. Luqman Afolabi, titled Artificial Intelligence as a Catalyst for AfCFTA Implementation: Building Trade Integration and Educational Capacity for Africa’s Digital Economy. Dr. Afolabi argued that while the AfCFTA represents a historic milestone, uniting a market of 1.3 billion people, the success of the agreement depends on deploying AI-enabled systems to enhance efficiency, transparency, and trust.
He illustrated how AI is reshaping three critical sectors of Africa’s economic infrastructure:
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Food Systems: Smart logistics and predictive analytics reducing agricultural losses and improving distribution.
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Energy Systems: AI-driven demand forecasting optimizing production, distribution, and sustainability.
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Financial Integration: Platforms like PAPSS, supported by AI-powered fraud detection and security protocols, dramatically lowering cross-border payment costs and reducing reliance on external currencies.
Dr. Afolabi emphasized that none of these innovations can succeed without a digitally competent workforce. He called for strategic reforms in teacher education, TVET programmes, and higher learning institutions to prepare young Africans for an AI-enabled labour market. Building strong digital competencies, he noted, is essential for the continent to fully leverage AfCFTA’s opportunities.
Sponsored by Afreximbank’s Africa Trade Gateway (ATG), the Special Session reinforced the Bank’s unique role as both a financier and a thought leader shaping Africa’s digital trade future. Discussions highlighted how AI-enabled platforms, alongside emerging frameworks such as the Smart Africa Trust Alliance (SATA) and the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, are laying the groundwork for a continental Digital Single Market.
This Special Session stood out as a pivotal moment at ICAIED 2025, demonstrating how investments in AI, digital trade systems, and human capital development can accelerate progress toward the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and strengthen Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy.
Afreximbank’s contribution complemented the broader ICAIED themes by connecting AI-driven educational reform to Africa’s economic transformation. The Bank’s Pan-African leadership, together with additional Silver Sponsors Cavalli Business & Investment Limited and DT Autocafe, significantly elevated the conference’s impact and visibility, reinforcing the value of cross-sector partnerships in shaping the continent’s future.
