Africa new Free Trade Zones and Smart Cities

Israel

Opinion

How Samuel Shay, Entrepreneur Senior economic advisor to the Abraham accords treaty, Sees Africa’s Next Economic Leap

Across Africa, a quiet transformation is beginning to take shape. A growing number of governments are looking for ways to attract global investment, expand exports, build technological capacity, and offer a future of economic dignity to their citizens. Yet the obstacles remain familiar: bureaucracy, slow procedures, unclear regulations, and limited infrastructure.
Into this complex landscape enters a bold and detailed vision presented by Samuel Shay, a senior economic strategist known for his work on the Abraham Accords and large-scale global development frameworks.

In extensive discussions with BBN News, Shay outlined a comprehensive strategy that combines Free Trade Zones with smart urban development. According to him, this model is not only practical but essential for African countries that want to close the development gap and move toward sustainable economic independence.

A Practical Framework for Attracting Global Capital

Shay begins with a clear observation. Investors are ready to enter Africa, but many are blocked by high entry costs, overwhelming paperwork, and legal uncertainty.
“Free Trade Zones provide clarity” he explains. “They create a modern and predictable environment where companies can register quickly, operate efficiently, and scale without unnecessary delays.”

Under his model, a Free Trade Zone becomes a self-contained territory governed by updated commercial laws, simplified registration procedures, flexible ownership structures, and tax systems that encourage growth instead of resisting it.
Shay notes that international experience from places like Dubai, Singapore, and Rwanda shows how powerful this framework can be when applied correctly.

Bringing Technology into the Continent

A central element of Shay’s plan focuses on technology transfer.
He argues that without access to modern technology, African countries will remain several decades behind global competitors.
Free Trade Zones can change this reality by attracting multinational firms to build innovation centers, AI laboratories, food technology facilities, cybersecurity units, and smart agriculture hubs.

“Technology must arrive in Africa not as charity but as structured partnership” he says.
In a well-designed zone, governments create incentives for research and universities establish joint training campuses.
The result is a flow of knowledge that empowers local engineers, technicians, and entrepreneurs.

Job Creation and Human Capital as the Core of Development

Shay rejects the idea that foreign investment should remain isolated from the local population.
According to him, a Free Trade Zone must be designed to create jobs at every level of skill, from advanced robotics and industrial engineering to logistics, Agrotech, and modern food processing.

“When you create real employment, you build stability” he explains.
Training centers inside the zones allow young professionals to gain practical skills.
Scholarship programs draw promising talent from rural areas.
Families that relied on informal work finally gain steady income.
This, in Shay’s view, is the true foundation of national growth.

Local Value Chains and the Expansion of Domestic Markets

Shay emphasizes that a successful Free Trade Zone is not an isolated cluster of factories.
Around it, an entire ecosystem emerges: transportation companies, packaging services, cold storage facilities, logistics hubs, agricultural suppliers, and quality control laboratories.

“When you create a zone, you ignite dozens of secondary industries” he says.
This ripple effect strengthens local producers, supports farmers, and encourages the growth of modern retail centers, housing, and urban services.

Export Growth and Fiscal Stability

One of the strongest points in Shay’s model is the ability of Free Trade Zones to transform developing states into exporters.
Advanced agriculture can reach European markets.
Food processing industries can serve regional African demand.
Technology companies can supply solutions to Middle Eastern states.
Industrial components can enter global supply chains.
Energy solutions, including liquid hydrogen systems, can become long term export assets.

“Exports are the key to fiscal stability” Shay explains.
“They create reliable income streams, reduce dependency on outside aid, and open the door for long term credit at better terms.”

Smart Cities as the Human and Technological Backbone

Shay stresses that the success of a Free Trade Zone depends on the quality of the urban environment surrounding it.
He calls for the creation of smart cities that support the workforce, provide housing, deliver education, and host modern health systems.

A smart African city, in his vision, includes efficient public transportation, renewable energy infrastructure, advanced hospitals, high speed digital networks, research parks, AI laboratories, and neighborhoods designed for professionals and families.

“These cities anchor the economic activity” he says.
“They attract talent and give investors confidence that the workforce will stay, grow, and contribute over time.”

Advanced Financing for a New Type of Growth

Shay places significant emphasis on financing structures that can accelerate development.
His model uses a range of tools including private securitization based on future revenues, partnerships between states and global investment funds, government guarantees, long term credit, and financing from Gulf based family offices.

With these tools, he argues, a Free Trade Zone can be built within eighteen months instead of several years.

Energy Independence as a Prerequisite for Industry

No zone can succeed without stable electricity.
Shay’s plan includes dedicated energy infrastructure for each zone, based on natural gas, liquid hydrogen systems, large scale solar fields, and energy storage solutions.
Micro grid architecture ensures that the zone remains operational even when the national grid fails.

“This is the difference between a working industrial zone and an empty one” he says plainly.

One Stop Shop Governance

To eliminate bureaucratic delays, Shay insists on a single authority inside the Free Trade Zone that handles all procedures: visas, taxation, company registration, licensing, and inspections.
The process becomes predictable, transparent, and investor friendly.

“When the investor understands the rules and receives service instead of resistance, the entire country benefits” he adds.

A Continental Network of Development

Shay’s long-term vision extends far beyond individual zones.
He imagines a connected network of Free Trade Zones across Africa that share standards, eliminate customs barriers, exchange knowledge, and move goods rapidly.

Such a network would create a trade bloc serving more than one billion consumers and position Africa as a central global economic arena.

“Africa is ready” Shay concludes. “With the right structure and the right partners, the continent can become one of the most dynamic economic regions in the world.”