Kenya has unveiled two new digital trade platforms, BiasharaLink and Deal House, to be rolled out across its diplomatic missions in support of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The initiative aims to transform embassies into hubs for trade and investment, marking a new phase of digitally driven economic diplomacy across the continent.

Unveiled at a high-level reception in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the landmark project is a significant step towards operationalising the AfCFTA by transforming how trade deals are originated and executed.“BiasharaLink and Deal House represent a new model of economic diplomacy; one that is results-oriented. It provides a common platform for capturing and organising opportunities. It connects opportunity to execution. Together, the platforms turn diplomacy into delivery,” said Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, in Addis Ababa.

BiasharaLink, a digital system, will allow diplomatic missions, exporters, investors and market actors to formally capture, structure and track trade and investment opportunities aligned with AfCFTA priorities.

Deal House will serve as the execution layer: opportunities generated through BiasharaLink are validated, matched with credible counterparties, connected to financing and progressed towards contract execution.

Together, they aim to close the continent’s persistent execution gap—moving beyond policy frameworks towards real deals that create jobs, connect markets and strengthen cross-border value chains.“As the world moves ever closer to supply chain disruptions and increased industrial protectionism, our continent is moving in the opposite direction. We have no alternative but to succeed; we must build a very strong domestic market,” said Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA.

Economic diplomacyThe launch of the digital trade platforms signals Kenya’s commitment to advancing a new model of economic diplomacy—one that is digital, execution-focused and designed to convert policy ambition into real commercial outcomes.

This decisive role reflects President William Samoei Ruto’s leadership as Chair of the AU Assembly Committee of Heads of State and Government on AfCFTA implementation, and as Co-champion of the Digital Trade Protocol.

The event in Addis Ababa came on the eve of a pre-AU Summit committee convened to review progress and assess key milestones in AfCFTA implementation, with trade execution a priority.

Felix Chege, founder and CEO of Real Sources Africa, said: “We realised that our embassies collect 3,500 trade enquiries a month, but the closure rate of deals was less than 1 per cent. Our main goal is to build the infrastructure and ecosystems that can drive trade, investment and financing to move this continent forward.”The digital platforms, developed by Real Sources Africa—a pan-African trade infrastructure institution serving as Kenya’s AfCFTA Trading Company—were designed to close the continent’s trade execution gap.

“We are witnessing a partnership between government and the private sector to establish a trade superhighway. When you do a deep dive into the solutions, you see these platforms are the day-to-day machinery that enables enquiries to turn into bankable and trackable deals,” said James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Group Holdings.

The innovative technology marks the first coordinated effort between policymakers and private sector leaders to unlock the untapped commercial potential of African embassies, translating the ambitions of the AU Agenda 2063.“The AfCFTA needs to move to the next level. Five years on, the potential remains untapped. I’m convinced that what we are launching today will be a significant step forward in unlocking trade,” said Mathias Kamp, Regional Director, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

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