New trade corridors across Africa are set to receive a financing boost through a $500 million Afreximbank facility supporting a pan-African trading platform linking suppliers with larger markets. Afreximbank and Africa Trading and Distribution Company (ATDC) signed the credit facility agreement on 21 September 2026 to support ATDC’s trading and distribution operations across Africa and international markets.
The facility will finance the full trade chain, from purchasing and aggregating goods to transportation, storage and distribution. Loans will be repaid from revenue generated through the sale of financed products, allowing ATDC to consolidate supplies into commercially viable volumes and move them into other markets. ATDC, which operates in Egypt, Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe, also plans to develop trade corridors linking African markets where limited access to trade finance remains a constraint on cross-border commerce.
“Realising Africa’s full trade potential requires reliable systems that connect producers, processors, manufacturers and markets,” said Stewart Makura, Chief Executive Officer of ATDC. The financing comes against a persistent trade finance gap across the continent. According to Afreximbank’s African Trade Report 2025, Africa faces an annual trade finance shortfall of about $100 billion, limiting the ability of businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to participate fully in regional value chains.
Intra-African trade reached $220.3 billion in 2024, an increase of 12.4% from the previous year, although it represented 14.4% of the continent’s formal trade. The wider merchandise trade picture also points to growing commercial flows. African merchandise trade reached about $1.5 trillion in 2024, up 13.9% year on year. Exports increased 21% to $758 billion, while imports rose 7.6% to $769 billion.
The ATDC facility adds to efforts to expand financing for trade within Africa as the institution seeks to deepen connections between producers, processors and markets. The bank disbursed $17.5 billion in trade financing in 2024 and is targeting $40 billion in intra-African trade finance in 2026. Therefore, the ATDC transaction places trade finance at the centre of efforts to move more goods across African borders, while supporting the development of distribution networks and trade corridors capable of linking fragmented markets.
