African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has signed a US$500mn global credit facility with the Africa Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC) to boost the trade, logistics and distribution of goods across African and global markets.
ATDC is a pan-African trading and distribution platform that buys, aggregates, processes and distributes African commodities and value-added goods, connecting local producers, processors and manufacturers with regional and global markets. It provides financing, warehousing and logistics support to producers and traders through national joint ventures.
The latest Afreximbank facility will help finance the purchase and aggregation of eligible African goods, and associated logistics, transportation, warehousing and distribution costs, the bank said. Repayments will be anchored on proceeds from the sale of the financed goods, it added.
Kanayo Awani, executive vice-president, intra-African trade and export development at Afreximbank, said: “The US$500mn global credit facility extended to ATDC underscores Afreximbank’s commitment to strengthening the trade, logistics and distribution architecture required to realise the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“By facilitating the efficient distribution of ‘Made-in-Africa’ goods across the continent, the facility will deepen regional value chains, expand market access for African producers, and boost manufactured exports, advancing the AfCFTA’s vision of a more integrated and industrialised African economy.”
Beyond financing individual transactions, Afreximbank also said the facility would help ATDC develop “repeatable trade corridors and expand access to sourcing and distribution networks across African markets”.
ATDC was established in September 2025 through Afreximbank’s Fund for Export Development in Africa, in collaboration with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms, Equitane DMCC and the AfCFTA Secretariat, and backed by a foundational pledge of US$1bn.
The company has initial operations in Egypt, Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Afreximbank said it planned to open another seven national entities by the end of 2026, with further rollouts expected in 2027.
Last week, the pan-African lender also signed a framework agreement with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) which will see each institution contribute up to US$10mn to prepare trade-enabling infrastructure and industrial projects in South Africa and the wider region.
Priority sectors include power and energy, transport and logistics, information and communication technology, and strategic minerals, the banks said in a joint statement.
Projects developed through the facility may seek funding from Afreximbank or DBSA. They may also be presented to private investors, development finance institutions and commercial lenders. Each would be subject to separate appraisal and approval.
The focus of the framework will be on trade-enabling infrastructure, industrial development and export-oriented initiatives across South Africa and the Southern African region, they added, with “potential extension to other African jurisdictions of mutual strategic interest”.
Awani said the partnership would help address “Africa’s infrastructure challenge”, which “is not only about shortage of capital; it is also about shortage of projects prepared to the standard required by investors and lenders”.
The agreement follows South Africa’s accession to the Afreximbank Establishment Agreement in February, when it became the bank’s 54th member state. Afreximbank also announced a US$8bn country programme for South Africa at the same time.
