Afreximbank positions financing as a catalyst for industrialization and the expansion of regional Afreximbank is strengthening its financing commitment to Anglophone West Africa, backing industrial projects, infrastructure and regional trade. The Bank’s latest interventions point to a broader push to expand production and connect African markets.
Afreximbank positions financing as a catalyst for industrialization and the expansion of regional trade in Anglophone West Africa. Its portfolio already includes significant industrial financing in Nigeria notably $2.5 billion committed to the Dangote oil refinery, accompanied by a $1 billion working capital facility as well as $75 million in financing in The Gambia to support strategic road projects. For Regional Director Kudakwashe Matereke, the priority is to build on these interventions by expanding trade finance, strengthening regional value chains, and connecting businesses across the seven markets within his operational zone.
My vision, in fact it is that of the bank, is for Afrexim Bank to contribute to the delivery of the bank’s broader mandate of promoting intra-Africa trade and supporting economic development across the sub-region. I have been given charge of the responsibilities West Africa Regional Office. And I seek to achieve this through number one, the strategic oversight that is providing strategic guidance and supervision of the bank’s regional operations, that the regional operations activities align with the bank’s overall goals and objectives. Secondly, it is to strongly engage with the stakeholders in the region relationships with the governments, the financial institutions, the private sector and our financing partners, ensuring that financing flows to the projects that require the financing and those projects that have an impact.
KUDAKWASHE MATEREKE, Regional Director, Anglophone West Africa, Afreximbank – Zimbabwe
Afreximbank financing comes as intra-African trade continues to expand, reaching $220.3 billion in 2024—a 12.4% increase—according to the Bank’s “African Trade Report 2025”. However, intra-African trade accounted for only 14.4% of Africa’s total trade, while the continent represented just 3.3% of global exports. With Africa’s trade finance gap estimated at approximately $100 billion, Kudakwashe Matereke’s regional strategy aims to make financing more accessible to businesses while supporting production, infrastructure, and cross-border trade.
The bank has a comprehensive suite of products and services designed to address the diverse and evolving needs of the member states. These products and services are equally available to our member countries, and these include, number one, the SME Development Programme or Solutions, where we finance or provide financing facilities to commercial banks for going to SME like technical skills, financial literacy, and strategic planning, as well as market access by twinning opportunities between the SMEs and the larger corporates. The second one is the project and asset-based finance, where we facilitate the acquisition of bankable projects. Then under our exports development and intra-Africa We support the establishment of platforms and infrastructure required to promote value addition, exports development and industrialization.
KUDAKWASHE MATEREKE, Regional Director, Anglophone West Africa, Afreximbank – Zimbabwe
From large-scale industrial projects to trade-enabling infrastructure, Afreximbank is seeking to turn financing into greater productive capacity and stronger regional integration. For Anglophone West Africa, the challenge now is to translate this capital into competitive businesses, stronger value chains and increased trade in African goods and services across borders.
