By George Ozalla
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is to bring together leading trade finance and compliance practitioners in Gaborone, Botswana, for its first combined Trade Finance Seminar and Compliance Forum, as the bank seeks practical solutions to challenges affecting intra-African trade and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The landmark programme will connect experts from both fields to examine how stronger trade finance systems and more coordinated compliance frameworks can support increased economic integration among African countries and facilitate international trade.
The Compliance Forum will focus on the role of effective and coordinated compliance frameworks in deepening African economic integration. Discussions will examine how regulatory and compliance structures can be strengthened to support cross-border commerce while creating an environment that facilitates international trade.
Afreximbank said the forum would provide a platform for participants to explore issues surrounding compliance and its relationship with Africa’s broader economic integration objectives.
The Trade Finance Seminar will focus on practical solutions to some of the financial constraints limiting the expansion of trade across the continent. It will bring together leading practitioners in trade finance to examine ways of strengthening regional value chains, closing Africa’s trade finance gap and supporting the implementation of the AfCFTA.
The discussions are expected to consider how improved access to trade finance can support businesses involved in regional and cross-border trade and strengthen the financial connections required to expand commerce among African economies.
The emphasis on regional value chains also reflects the need to strengthen linkages between producers, manufacturers, traders and financial institutions within Africa, particularly as countries seek to increase the volume of goods and services traded under the AfCFTA framework.
The combined programme places trade finance and compliance within the same discussion, recognising their respective roles in supporting the growth of African trade. While access to finance remains an important requirement for businesses seeking to participate in regional commerce, effective compliance frameworks are also necessary to facilitate properly regulated cross-border transactions.
The Gaborone meetings will therefore provide an opportunity for practitioners and experts to share knowledge and examine solutions that can contribute to stronger regional trade structures.
Afreximbank said the programme would advance discussions around the practical measures required to strengthen intra-African trade, address the continent’s trade finance deficit and support the effective implementation of the AfCFTA.
