Browsing: Intra-African trade

• Afreximbank is set to equip traders with vital tools to navigate both tariff and non-tariff barriers in AfCFTA.
• In a June 30 to July 2, 2025, forum in Abuja, the lender will coach both prospective and existing exporters on emerging intra-Africa trade issues.
• So far, limited understanding of AFCFTA’s technical and operational aspects has barred many firms from leveraging the bloc’s benefits.

Lender Afreximbank is rolling out a bespoke training, targeting traders across Africa with key insights on how to leverage on the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the world’s largest trading bloc by member countries, to grow their investments.

Statistics show that ntra-African trade has the potential to increase by over 52 per cent this year if the AfCFTA is fully implemented, and could reach a value of over $70 billion annually in the short term.

Furthermore, studies by the United Nations Economic Commission …

• FOCUS Africa 2025 forum in Cairo aims at showcasing bankable projects capable of attracting capital.
• With a market of 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of over $3.1 trillion, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—presents huge opportunities.
• Afreximbank chief notes that globalisation, as we know it, is under life support.

Policymakers on trade across Africa have met in Cairo, Egypt, for the FOCUS Africa 2025 conference, in yet another push by the continent to enhance trade between countries.

The two-day meeting, 15-16 April, 2025, has seen leaders from various economies exchange views on how to address several investment challenges while unlocking high-impact trade opportunities in the continent.

Some of the key focus areas in the meeting organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation (MoPEDIC) of Egypt and the Group of African Ambassadors in …

• African countries undermine their economic growth by prioritising trade with Europe and the United States over regional markets.
• How do we ensure that African countries trade among themselves? asks Dr. Phenyo Butale, Botswana’s Minister of International Relations.
• “We [Botswana] have high-quality beef in Botswana and the North West province, we export it to the European Union, yet Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo buy their beef from Brazil. Does that make sense? It doesn’t,” says Dr. Butale.

Despite its vast resources and production capacity, regional trade in Africa remains low with many economies relying heavily on overseas markets. This state of affairs has prompted Botswana to raise the alarm about low levels of intra-African trade.

“It’s disheartening that Africa is still unable to realise trade among its countries,” said Dr Phenyo Butale, Botswana’s Minister of International Relations, delivering a lecture in honour of the late South African Deputy …

• Every so often, Africa is being forced to choose sides between China, Russia, and the West. 
• However, to win big, Africa must speak in one voice and trade as a unit in the new world order
• What’s more, Africa’s vas resource endowments can strengthen the continent’s resilience of its Transatlantic Alliance.

From friend-shoring brought about by COVID-19, then the Russia-Ukraine war, and now escalations in conflict in the Gaza strip, a new world order is taking shape, and Africa must align itself.

The big question for Africa is who to ally with and who to forego. Alignments with China are almost unavoidable, yet they place African economies at loggerheads with the West. While support for Israel pays off, it turns African countries into easy targets for the increasingly complex terror networks taking root on the continent.

Then there is the need to diversify sources of food and fertilizer imports, and …

• About 130 countries participated in IATF2023, which attracted 1,939 exhibitors and 28,282 participants who attended physically and through the IATF virtual platform.
• The sheer scale of IATF2023 reflects a shared commitment to fostering economic integration and development on the continent.
• The next edition of the IATF will be hosted in 2025 by Algeria.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced that the third Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2023) held in Cairo from 9 to 15 November witnessed the conclusion of business deals and transactions valued at US$43.8 billion.

IATF2023 brought together representatives from 130 countries, fostering collaboration and partnership in diverse sectors. With 1,939 exhibitors and 28,282 participants attending physically and through the IATF virtual platform, the trade fair emerged as a pivotal platform for connecting businesses across borders.

In a comprehensive breakdown, the organisers revealed that the concluded deals spanned 21 sectors and involved 52 countries. This extensive …

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is now widely touted as the African Union’s (AU) most audacious project. The framework ties together the most significant number of member countries of any trade agreement since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995.

The AfCFTA had become topical even before its formal launch. Members of the business community eagerly awaited the full implementation of the AfCFTA. But two years since its formal launch, how far has the AfCFTA ushered in the ‘new era’ of African integration it promised?…

There appears to be a consensus that the world is finally turning its back on the US dollar. There are simmering shifts within the global monetary system. The shift becomes ever more apparent, best described as de-dollarisation.

The world is searching for alternatives to the US dollar, finding them more often. Thus, moving away from the dollar can no longer be stopped. For instance, early this year, Indonesia reiterated it would promote local currency settlement (LCS) in cross-border trade and investment to reduce dependence on the US dollar.…