Launched on the sidelines of the 39th AU Summit in Addis Ababa on Thursday, February 12, the platforms, BiasharaLink and Deal House, seek to close what officials described as Africa's long-standing 'execution gap,' where trade opportunities are identified but rarely converted into completed transactions.
The initiative, spearheaded by Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs in partnership with Real Sources Africa and Equity Group Holdings, positions diplomatic missions as structured commercial pipelines rather than traditional liaison offices.
Turning diplomacy into delivery
Speaking at the launch, Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, said the platforms introduce a new model of economic diplomacy anchored in systems, accountability and measurable outcomes.
'BiasharaLink and Deal House represent a new model of economic diplomacy; one that is results-oriented,' Mudavadi said. 'It provides a common platform for capturing and organising opportunity. It connects opportunity to execution. Together, the platforms turn diplomacy into delivery.'
Mudavadi noted that while Africa has made significant progress in negotiating trade frameworks, including the AfCFTA, traders and investors still face stalled transactions, fragmented information and weak follow-through.
'This is not a question of political will or commitment,' he said. 'It is a failure of systems.'
The new platforms aim to institutionalise how embassies capture, track and convert trade and investment leads, ensuring continuity beyond individual diplomatic postings and creating a structured pipeline from inquiry to execution.
Closing the trade execution gap
According to Real Sources Africa founder and CEO, Felix Chege, Kenyan embassies collect an average of 3,500 trade inquiries per month, yet fewer than one percent historically translate into closed deals.
'Our embassies are centres of trust,' Chege said. 'But they lacked the infrastructure to transmit inquiries to the right businesses and execute them efficiently.'
BiasharaLink functions as the intake and structuring layer, enabling diplomatic missions, exporters and investors to digitally capture, validate and monitor trade leads. It distinguishes between exploratory inquiries and transaction-ready buyers, supported by due diligence processes and 'deal stewards' trained to guide transactions.
Deal House serves as the execution engine, where validated opportunities are matched with counterparties, supported with documentation, and connected to payment and financing solutions. The system integrates escrow mechanisms and trade finance tools to reduce risk for both buyers and sellers.
Chege described the model as 'capture, validate and close,' adding that the goal is to build a continental infrastructure leveraging embassy credibility to drive trade, investment and financing.
Finance as the lubrication layer
James Mwangi, Group CEO of Equity Group Holdings, framed the initiative as a bridge between policy ambition and commercial reality.
'For years, Africa has had policy frameworks without flow of goods and services,' Mwangi said. 'What we are witnessing is a partnership between government and private sector to create an infrastructure that enables people to walk, ride and drive on a trade superhighway.'
He described the platform as 'visa-free,' compressing time and distance by connecting buyers and sellers digitally, while reducing reliance on costly physical travel and fragmented networks.
Equity will provide the financing layer, including trade finance, guarantees and payment solutions, to ensure that structured deals become bankable transactions.
'It's not enough to have a pipeline,' Mwangi said. 'You must lubricate the platform by having finance accessible.'
He added that the platform creates equal access for SMEs, women and youth entrepreneurs, reducing gatekeeping and embedding trust through government-backed verification via diplomatic missions.
AfCFTA enters implementation phase
The launch comes as the AfCFTA Secretariat prepares for the adoption of remaining legal instruments under the trade pact.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said the agreement now provides the regulatory certainty needed to unlock intra-African trade, but warned that execution remains the central challenge.
'In a world moving toward fragmentation and protectionism, Africa is moving in the opposite direction,' Mene said. 'We have no alternative but to succeed; we have to build a very strong domestic market.'
He highlighted the AfCFTA's protocols on digital trade and on women and youth in trade as forward-looking instruments that align with Kenya's digital approach.
With a market of 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, Mene said the opportunity is unprecedented, but only if SMEs and young entrepreneurs can access structured trade systems.
The initiative has also received backing from development partners supporting AfCFTA implementation. Mathias Kamp, Regional Director of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, said the launch marks a critical step toward unlocking the bloc's trade potential.
'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,' he said.
From diplomatic hubs to economic hubs
Kenya's government says the initiative forms part of a broader shift in its foreign policy, which now prioritises commercial diplomacy and diaspora investment.
Mudavadi noted that Kenya recently secured parliamentary endorsement of its updated foreign policy framework, reinforcing predictability and credibility in its external engagements.
"Our diplomatic missions are among Africa's most valuable assets. They are trusted institutions that already facilitate trade and investment, but today's economy requires structured pipelines, reliable data, verified partners, and access to finance," he said.
Officials stressed that while the system begins with Kenya's 70 diplomatic missions, its ambition is continental, with an invitation extended to other African countries to adopt or integrate into the model.
'The success of this initiative,' Mudavadi said, 'will be measured in completed deals, jobs created and enterprises grown. Africa's next chapter must be written in performance, not promises.'
Wycliffe Nyamasege
