After Abuja in Nigeria, Afreximbank is continuing the rollout of its ambitious network of African Trade Centres. In a few months, Cairo will host the second strategic hub of this pan-African initiative, designed to transform trade and investment across the continent.
In Egypt’s new administrative capital, Afreximbank has officially begun construction of its African Trade Centre in Cairo, laying the first stone of this large strategic complex. This is the second centre of its kind on the continent, following the one in Abuja, Nigeria, which is already operational. This initiative is part of a broader ambition: to establish a continental network of platforms dedicated to African trade.
It will house technology and small and medium-sized enterprises incubation centers, digital African trade gateway which will offer information, customer due diligence, payments, and other digital services. This trade center will significantly enhance Egypt’s economic and diplomatic relations with Northern Africa.
GEORGE ELOMBI, President of Afreximbank – Cameroon
Conceived as a one-stop shop, the African Trade Centre in Cairo will offer an integrated range of commercial and financial services. It will bring together trade facilitation, trade finance, market intelligence, strategic advisory, and digital solutions. Spread over 150,000 square meters, the site will also feature SME incubators, a business information center, a hotel-residence, as well as a conference and exhibition center.
This initiative fully embodies the spirit of the trade without boundaries, embodied within the African Continental Free Trade Area and reflects African Zimbabwe’s enduring commitment to Africa, to Africa’s economic integration, transformation, value addition and deeper integration into the global economy.
MOHAMADOU LABARANG, Dean of African Ambassadors in Egypt – Cameroon
After Abuja and Cairo, Afreximbank plans to open additional African Trade Centres in Harare, Kampala, Tunis, Abidjan, Yaoundé, Kigali, as well as in Barbados, targeting the African diaspora. This network is designed to support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and to sustainably boost intra-African trade, which remains largely underexploited.
The center will also serve as a convening venue for Egypt’s, for Africa’s largest trade and investment events, aligns with Africa Continental Free Trade Area ambitions in this regard. Positioned in the news capital, the center reinforces Egypt’s identity as a continental gateway for investments, commerce, and diplomacy.
MOSTAFA MADBOULY, Prime Minister – Egypt
As the host country of Afreximbank’s headquarters, Egypt is strengthening its position as a hub for African trade, at the crossroads of North Africa, the rest of the continent, and international markets.
Planned over 30 to 36 months, the construction of the African Trade Centre in Cairo is expected to create several thousand jobs. Through this network of African Trade Centres, Afreximbank is gradually building a new architecture for African trade, designed by Africa, for Africa, and open to the world.
