Bangkok, Thailand, 12 October 2026: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional integration, accelerating industrialisation and expanding intra-African trade through enhanced cooperation in trade financing, infrastructure development and regional value chains.
This commitment was underscored during a meeting between His Excellency Mr Elias M. Magosi, SADC Executive Secretary, and Ms Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank, held on the margins of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) in Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand.
The discussions focused on strengthening the proposed SADC-Afreximbank partnership to mobilise financial and technical resources, remove barriers to trade and advance the region’s industrial and economic transformation.
The SADC Executive Secretary welcomed the progress made in developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions and commended Afreximbank for its collaboration. He emphasised that industrialisation is central to SADC’s development agenda, highlighting the need to strengthen regional value chains, promote skills development and accelerate the beneficiation of critical minerals. He underscored the importance of moving beyond raw material exports towards local processing and value addition to create employment and maximise the economic benefits of the region’s natural resources.
Ms Awani highlighted the opportunities regional integration presents for accelerating industrial development and expanding intra-African trade. She outlined Afreximbank’s role in providing trade finance, advisory services and other financial instruments to support businesses, facilitate exports and improve access to financial opportunities through digital solutions.
The meeting explored opportunities for cooperation in strategic industrial programmes, rail interconnectivity, automotive development and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The automotive sector was recognised as a potential driver of industrialisation, with opportunities to strengthen manufacturing, deepen regional value chains and attract investment. The discussions also highlighted the importance of platforms such as the Automotive Forum and trade missions in connecting businesses with markets, investors and financing opportunities.
On trade facilitation, the discussions underscored the need to remove non-tariff barriers, harmonise policies and procedures, and improve cross-border trade through initiatives such as One-Stop Border Posts. The participants also highlighted the importance of strategic investments in transport and logistics corridors, energy infrastructure, digital connectivity and interconnected electricity grids to reduce trade costs and improve regional competitiveness
Other areas of cooperation included promoting trade in agricultural inputs, particularly fertilisers, to support agricultural productivity and food security, as well as developing regional value chains in pharmaceuticals and critical minerals. The discussions also highlighted opportunities for Afreximbank to support the preparation and financing of bankable regional infrastructure and industrialisation projects, complementing existing SADC initiatives, including the Project Preparation and Deve Development Facility (PPDF), to mobilise investment for priority regional development projects.
The two institutions emphasised the importance of identifying practical flagship initiatives that would deliver tangible results in infrastructure development, industrialisation, trade facilitation and value addition, aligned with the objectives of the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030 and SADC Vision 2050.
Established in 1993 and headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, Afreximbank is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to promote, finance and facilitate trade within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world. Its financial and technical capabilities position the Bank as a strategic partner in advancing SADC’s regional development priorities.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of SADC and Afreximbank to strengthening regional integration, expanding trade and mobilising investment to drive sustainable economic growth and industrial transformation across Southern Africa.
The Executive Secretary was accompanied by Dr Mike Masiye, SADC Director for Policy, Planning and Resource Mobilisation; Mr Thokozani Mlotsa, Programme Officer for Resource Mobilisation; and Mr Hamilton Thomas, Programme Officer for Capital Market. Ms Awani was accompanied by Mr Haytham El Maayergi, Executive Vice President for Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank, and Mr Peter Adeshola Olowonomi, Director for Regional Operations for Southern Africa at Afreximbank. Other officials from both institutions also attended the meeting.
