IN a collaborative effort, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) have launched the Africa Trade Gateway (ATG) in Accra. This suite of five digital platforms serves as a single window to enhance the bank’s capabilities in supporting and promoting African trade and facilitating the implementation of the AfCFTA.
During the launch, Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Intra-African Trade Bank at Afreximbank, introduced the ATG alongside esteemed guests such as Ernest Addison, Governor-Bank of Ghana, and Emily Mburu-Ndoria, Director of the Directorate of Trade in Services, Investment, IPR, and Digital Trade at AfCFTA, who represented Secretary General Wamkele Mene. The ATG digital ecosystem comprises five components: MANSA (due diligence platform), the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the TRADAR Club, the Africa Trade Exchange (ATEX), and ATG Connect.
Awani stressed that Afreximbank’s digital transformation is a strategic response to address Africa’s challenges and expedite development using digital technologies and business models. She highlighted that each digital intervention aims to overcome specific barriers faced by those engaging in African trade and investment. The ATG serves as a customer-centric gateway, streamlining trade, commerce, and investment by providing a comprehensive digital ecosystem supported by Afreximbank and AfCFTA.
With the ATG, customers can conduct all their transactions within a single window, ensuring convenience and efficiency. The ecosystem’s components offer unique services:
- MANSA: Africa’s due diligence platform, providing essential data for customer due diligence on African entities, financial institutions, corporates, and SMEs. It also offers information on investments in Africa, country profiles, and traded products/services.
- PAPSS: A payment and settlement system facilitating efficient intra-African trade in national currencies, promoting financial integration and reducing risk. Adopted by the African Union in 2019, PAPSS currently operates from Cairo.
- TRADAR Club: A member-driven network empowering international businesses and executives to transform trade and investments in Africa through trusted trade intelligence, advisory services, digital tools, and networking opportunities.
- ATEX: A B2B and B2G e-commerce platform enabling small, medium, and large African businesses to access new markets and optimize their supply chains. It facilitates bulk procurement of basic commodities transparently.
- ATG Connect: A platform connecting business service providers across Africa, offering frictionless freight and logistics connectivity solutions. It allows customers to obtain competitive quotes for pickup and delivery of goods throughout Africa.
The launch ceremony included presentations on the services provided by each platform and a panel discussion by the heads of the platforms, highlighting their contribution to trade across Africa and the implementation of the AfCFTA. The Africa Trade Gateway marks a significant milestone in advancing African trade, fostering economic growth, and unlocking the continent’s immense potential.
