Equitable Trade Means Africa Gets a Fair Share | Mike Ogbalu III & Ezinne Nwazulu | AfroTradePod

Why is it easier for African countries to trade with Europe or Asia than with each other?

Why are African businesses trading in currencies they do not control?

And why can external financial centers still influence who trades and who doesn't?

In this episode of AfroTradePod, Mike Ogbalu III, CEO of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), joins Ezinne Nwazulu to unpack the structural barriers holding back intra-African trade — and what it will take to build true financial sovereignty on the continent.

From the hard currency bottleneck to equitable trade, industrialization, and the future of cross-border payments under AfCFTA, this conversation goes beyond theory and into systems.

Key Themes in This Episode:

The currency problem in African trade

Why intra-African trade remains structurally constrained

Financial sovereignty and payment infrastructure

Equitable trade and Africa's fair share of global value chains

Why trade decisions affecting Africa must be made in Africa

If Africa is serious about industrialization, job creation, and economic independence, then payments, policy, and infrastructure cannot remain externalized.

Subscribe to AfroTradePod for conversations on African trade, financial infrastructure, leadership, and building institutions that last.