Intra-African trade continues its digital transformation. In Southern Africa, a US$5.3 million cross-border trade transaction has been successfully completed through Africa Trade Gateway (ATG), Afreximbank’s digital trade platform. The deal, the platform’s first transaction in the energy sector in the region, highlights Africa’s growing ambitions to expand trade financing and facilitate cross-border commerce.
The USD 5.3 million cross-border trade transaction was announced on 23 July 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe. It enabled Zimbabwean fuel importer Witeva Trading to procure diesel from a major Switzerland-based commodities supplier. The transaction was facilitated through Africa Trade Gateway (ATG), Afreximbank’s digital trade platform, with Innbucks Microbank acting as the issuing financial institution and Afreximbank providing trade finance confirmation.
“We are therefore witnessing a kind of transaction enabler and, at the same time, a growth driver that will certainly facilitate even more exchanges of this nature and allow the platform to play the role of a catalyst and facilitator of economic transactions both within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world.”
Dr. Honoré MONDOMOBE, International Economist – Cameroon
Beyond this transaction, Africa Trade Gateway aims to strengthen cross-border trade across Africa by connecting businesses, financial institutions and trading partners through a single digital platform. The deal marks ATG’s first energy-sector transaction in Southern Africa and its first transaction with Innbucks Microbank. As of the end of 2025, Afreximbank reported USD 48.5 billion in total assets and guarantees, with USD 8.4 billion in shareholders’ funds, reinforcing its role in financing African trade and supporting the implementation of the AfCFTA.
“The cost of foreign currencies was, until now, weighing down commercial transactions and increasing the costs of importing goods. We are therefore moving towards a system that will not only expand further through digitalisation, but will also make economies more fluid and more resilient.”
Dr. Honoré MONDOMOBE, International Economist – Cameroon
With this USD 5.3 million transaction, Africa Trade Gateway has reaffirmed the strategic role of digital solutions in facilitating African trade. The initiative aligns with Afreximbank’s vision of strengthening intra-African trade, advancing the continent’s economic integration and supporting the implementation of the AfCFTA.
