Afreximbank Flagship Reports

African Trade Report 2022: Leveraging the Power of Culture and Creative Industries for Accelerated Structural Transformation in the AfCFTA Era

The African Export-Import Bank’s 2022 edition of the African Trade Report examines trade and economic developments in Africa and other parts of the world during 2020 and 2021, a period during which the global economy witnessed a synchronized global downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Containment measures implemented to stem the spread of the virus, including lockdowns, social distancing, and border closures, led to widespread supply and demand shocks with dramatic consequences for global growth and trade. World trade decreased by 21 percent at the height of the pandemic downturn, between March and April 2020. Global GDP contracted by 3.1 percent—one of the sharpest contractions on record. The swift implementation of bold measures, including loose monetary policy and fiscal stimulus by governments especially from developed economies, contributed to recovery in the global economy.

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Africa’s 2022 Growth Prospects: Poise under Post-Pandemic and Heightening Geopolitical Pressures

Despite the numerous, lingering negative effects of the pandemic — from global supply chain disruption and rising inflationary pressures to recurrent waves of COVID-19 infections and the emergence of threatening variants — the globalisation of growth resilience will emerge as one of the most important stories when economic historians reflect on this time. In a major and synchronised reversal, growth bounced back in 2021 in one of the strongest post-recession recoveries in decades.

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Contemporary Issues in African Trade & Trade Finance (CIAT)
Volume 7, Issue 1, 2021

The Contemporary Issues in African Trade and Trade Finance (CIAT) is introduced by the Bank to provide a platform for the staff of Afreximbank and other individuals knowledgeable in African trade and trade finance to publish articles in the areas of trade, trade finance and economic development in Africa. The CIAT publishes technical and non-technical papers. Edited by a Committee, drawn from both internal and external sources, it also publishes relevant papers presented at conferences or seminars internally organized or externally held

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Annual Report 2021

The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was fraught with uncertainties and challenges affecting both Afreximbank’s global and African operating environments, stemming from continued weaknesses in global demand, supply chain disruptions, and volatility in financial an commodity markets. As the Bank was concluding the implementation of its fifth Strategic Plan (IMPACT 2021: Africa Transformed), covering 2017–21, it responded to these rising challenges by intensifying its operations and activities in support of its member states.

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Studying on Trade -Carrying Infrastructure Gap in Southern African Development Community (SADC)

The overall objective of this assignment is to analyse the trade-carrying infrastructure gaps across one pilot African region and propose priority investments to fill these gaps. To do this, the report first quantifies existing and future intra-regional trade flows along the main transport corridors in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and ranks the importance of each corridor for future intra-Africa trade. Next, it assesses the condition, capacity and ...

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Africa Franchise Report: A Study of Franchising in Africa

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a pan African multilateral financial institution established in 1993, commissioned a market study on the franchising sector in Africa, of which this report is the product. Afreximbank, under the Create and Connect pillars of its Intra-African Trade Strategy, has prioritised franchising as a critical instrument to unlock opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), that are seeking new business ventures on the African continent.

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Afreximbank Annual Report 2020

2020 was a very challenging year. The global COVID-19 pandemic, which set in early in the year, swept across the world, leading to unprecedented and synchronised disruptions at various levels.
Besides the devastating, unprecedented death toll, the social and economic impact of the pandemic was unparalleled in modern history, with all aspects of everyday life, including work and travel, affected. In 2020, the Bank undertook its operations and activities in line with the revised work programme and budgets and in the context of the COVID-19- induced global and regional economic crisis. In addition to intensifying its support under existing programmes and facilities, the Bank launched several new initiatives and products during the year specifically tailored to curb the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on its member states while protecting the Bank’s assets and staff.

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Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report 2020

2019 saw the Afreximbank make real progress in its delivery on each of its four strategic pillars: IntraAfrican Trade, Industrialisation and Export Development, Trade Finance Leadership, and Financial Soundness and Performance. The Bank’s notable launches included the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System and the US$1 billion African Continental Free Trade Area Adjustment Facility.
The Bank maintained strong support for Africa’s economies despite the prevailing global trade tensions, while strengthening its credit portfolio and improving operating efficiency. The Line of Credit and Direct Financing Programmes accounted for over 80 percent of total approvals, and total disbursements reached an annual record of US$8.9 billion. As mandated and co-mandated lead arranger, the Bank syndicated 21 transactions totalling US$12.71 billion

Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report 2020

The Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report (ATDER) assesses the contribution made by the Bank towards African trade and development over the past year under three of its key strategic pillars: Intra-African Trade, Industrialisation and Export Development, and Trade Finance Leadership. This year’s ATDER also highlights the impact the Bank is making across Africa’s five subregions.

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Mozambique Country Brief

July 2021

Prepared by Afreximbank Research and International Cooperation Department, the Country Brief covers the country political environment, the economic overview (including the inflation and fiscal balance), and an overview of trade, reserves and financial sector. The opportunities for bank support are also outlined in the Brief.

African Trade Report 2020

The 2020 edition of the report focuses on “Informal Cross Border Trade in Africa: Size, Composition and the Route to Formalisation in the Context of The AfCFTA” was prepared by the Research and International Cooperation Department of Afreximbank in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

African Trade Report 2019

The report themed AFRICAN TRADE IN A DIGITAL WORLD has been prepared at a time when digitalization is permeating all aspects of organizational and business processes as well as our everyday lives, and driving changes within industries, organizations, and markets. The Report provides insights into the effects of digital transformation on export competitiveness and effective integration in production networks.
In addition to increasing efficiency and productivity at firm level, the Report shows that digitalization can reduce the dependence on commodities by accelerating the diversification into new and more value-added products, by highlighting the fact that digital technology applications are increasingly removing barriers imposed by borders and making it possible for businesses to transact across borders seamlessly.

African Trade Report 2018

The African Trade Report (ATR) is an annual publication that reviews and analyses African trade developments in the context of the politico-economic environment that prevailed in the year to which the Report relates. The Report also discusses macroeconomic developments in Africa as well as trade financing and sub-regional cooperation issue.
The Report focuses each year on a particular theme to address trade and economic development challenges facing Africa and has become more popular with policymakers across Africa due to its thoroughness in analyzing current issues.

Survey on Impact of COVID-19 on African Trade Finance

This report – the product of a collaboration between the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A), hosted by the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) - offers a ground-breaking, first- ever assessment of the potential impact of the C0VID-19 pandemic on trade finance activities of commercial banks across Africa. Drawing on primary data collected from banks and financial institutions accounting for about 58% of total Africa banking assets across all subregions of the continent, the report covers not only the degree to which the pandemic undermined the supply of trade finance, but also the extent to which geography and ownership structures of banks affected access to trade financing.

Africa’s 2021 Growth Prospects A puzzle of many pieces

Extraordinary global policy responses and the fortitude of regional authorities have steadied the African economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. But risks, both familiar and novel, still abound, demanding a heightened and better-coordinated international response.

Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report 2019- ATDER

This is the first edition of the Annual Trade Development Effectiveness Report (ATDER). The ATDER, drawn on the Afreximbank’s new Trade Development Impact Assessment (TDIA) Framework, provides stakeholders and partners with a better understanding of the impact of the Bank’s interventions on Africa’s trade and development each year.
Africa achieved an important milestone with the launch of the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2019. Africa’s leaders and people acknowledge that, with a 3 percent share in global trade, 16 percent share in intra-African trade, US$120 billion trade finance gap, 420 million unemployed youth, 500 million people living in poverty, and the least-diversified export baskets, Africa cannot afford to have low ambitions. The AfCFTA creates opportunities for expanding intra-African trade and promoting value addition and industrialisation for sustainable development – the objectives that drive the Bank and its key stakeholders.

Factoring in Africa to support trade development

This occasional paper is about factoring, known as the selling or transferring of accounts receivable to secure funds that are immediately available. The process provides a solution to address the financing gap for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to support trade development as part of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and Africa’s structural transformation agenda.

Building Capacity for Development of Factoring in Africa to accelerate trade development and support AfCFTA

This Policy Brief developed by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) explores the opportunities offered by factoring which provides a solution to address the financing gap for Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) to support Africa’s structural transformation particularly in trade development as part of the African Continental Free trade Agreement (AfCFTA). The aim of the Policy Brief is to examine the capacity imperatives for the development and use of factoring as an innovative trade financing tool to advance the AfCFTA.

Books

A Path to Making Africa Great Again:Transforming Africa’s Trade

By Prof. Benedict O. Oramah
This book presents a survey of pre-and post-colonial African trade history and trade dislocations. While global living standards have risen considerably over several decades, and African countries have experienced high growth episodes in the recent past, the continent still lags behind much of the world on most development indicators. Part of the solution to Africa’s development paradox should involve policies which enable countries to achieve economies of scale, as well as the initiation of structural transformation on the continent through the encouragement of intra-African trade. These proposals are aided by the digital revolution which has re-ignited the spirit of innovation across Africa. Clever entrepreneurs from Lagos to Nairobi are using technology to proof er solutions to everyday problems, transforming millions of lives across the continent.

The Journal of African Trade (JAT)

A Path to Making Africa Great Again:Transforming Africa’s Trade

The Journal of African Trade (JAT) sponsored by Afreximbank, seeks to publish articles that test, advance and develop models, framework, and concepts in the broad areas of international trade and trade finance, economic growth and development, and international finance.
Specifically, the journal focuses on:
• Theoretical issues relating to development of trade and African trade in particular;
• Policy and institutional matters relating to the development of African trade and trade finance; and
• Other contemporary issues of relevance to the development of global and

Contemporary Issues in African Trade and Trade Finance (CIAT)

Contemporary Issues in African Trade and Trade Finance (CIAT)

The Contemporary Issues in African Trade and Trade Finance (CIAT) is introduced by the Bank to provide a platform for the staff of Afreximbank and other individuals knowledgeable in African trade and trade finance to publish articles in the areas of trade, trade finance and economic development in Africa. The CIAT publishes technical and non-technical papers. Edited by a Committee, drawn from both internal and external sources, it also publishes relevant papers presented at conferences or seminars internally organized or externally held.

Lecture Series

Afreximbank Distinguished Lecture Series

Afreximbank Distinguished Lecture Series publishes important papers that address current issues on Africa’s economic and trade development. The papers are normally commissioned by Afreximbank and are usually delivered at the Annual Meetings of the Bank’s Advisory Group on Trade Finance and Export Development in Africa or during the Bank´s Annual Trade and Development Seminar Series.

BABACAR NDIAYE LECTURE SERIES

The Babacar Ndiaye Annual Lecture Series instituted by the Bank in October 2017 provides the opportunity for Africa
and the world to celebrate the life and immortalize the vision and exceptional contributions of Dr. Babacar Ndiaye to Africa.

BABACAR NDIAYE LECTURE SERIES

The Babacar Ndiaye Annual Lecture Series instituted by the Bank in October 2017 provides the opportunity for Africa
and the world to celebrate the life and immortalize the vision and exceptional contributions of Dr. Babacar Ndiaye to Africa.