Afreximbank Report Details Trade, Financial Integration Strategy
By Patience Ikpeme
A strategic framework for Africa’s economic advancement has been laid out in the 2025 Africa Trade Report, unveiled Wednesday at the 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Abuja. The report, presented by the bank’s Chief Group Economist, Dr. Yemi Kale, outlines how the continent can secure its future competitiveness by prioritizing intra-African trade and strengthening key financial pillars. This vision is supported by Afreximbank’s significant financial commitment, which saw $18.7 billion disbursed in 2024 to foster trade, industrialization, and business development across Africa.
Dr. Kale, confirming the 2024 disbursement figure, positioned Afreximbank’s interventions as pivotal to reshaping the continent’s economic structure. He conveyed that the bank’s funding activities are explicitly “designed to engineer transformation and strengthen the foundations of African enterprise and intra-continental commerce.”
The 2025 trade report assesses Africa’s economy as resilient despite persistent global economic uncertainty. It argues that the continent’s future hinges on a renewed focus on intra-African trade, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). To fully unlock AfCFTA’s potential and translate it into concrete economic benefits such as job creation and industrial upgrading, the report identifies three fundamental financial pillars: scaling African-owned development banks and sovereign-backed investment funds; stablishing interoperable, low-cost cross-border payment and settlement systems and projecting a unified African voice, supported by robust data, in global financial and regulatory forums.
With these foundational elements in place, the report suggests Africa could transform global volatility into an opportunity for inclusive and sustained growth.
“The evolving global and regional financial landscape presents both opportunities and challenges,” the report states. “While volatility in global markets, rising protectionism, and the reorientation of foreign direct investment flows pose risks, regional financial integration and the deepening of structural reforms provide a counterweight.” The report further adds that strategic infrastructure investments, aligned with AfCFTA objectives, could propel intra-African value chains and reduce the continent’s reliance on external trading partners.
The document calls for African economies to concentrate on policy harmonization, investment coordination, and targeted industrial policies. These actions are seen as essential for building regional supply networks, stimulating manufacturing, and achieving economies of scale. Such efforts, the report indicates, will enable African countries to diversify their exports, increase value addition, and improve their positions in global trade rankings.
“By adopting integrated strategies that merge finance, trade, and industrial policy,” the report notes, “African economies can become more resilient, inclusive, and competitive within the shifting contours of the global market.”
Dr. Kale reiterated Afreximbank’s ongoing role in this transformation. He stated that “The bank is not just providing funding; it is facilitating the building blocks of a modern African trade ecosystem—one that is structured to deliver long-term economic dividends and regional stability.”
The 32nd Afreximbank AGM in Abuja has brought together key stakeholders from across Africa and beyond, including policymakers, multilateral institutions, private sector leaders, and development finance experts. Discussions throughout the meetings have centered on accelerating trade integration, reducing trade financing gaps, and leveraging innovation and technology to expand Africa’s trade footprint. The presentation of the Africa Trade Report forms a core part of the bank’s broader agenda to inform policymaking, guide investment decisions, and deepen understanding of the region’s trade dynamics in a rapidly changing world.
