Signed on the sidelines of IATF2025 (site), the renewed agreement targets SME competitiveness, AfCFTA-related capacity building, creative industries, Africa–Caribbean and Arab-region linkages, and improved access to finance.
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) have renewed and broadened their memorandum of understanding (MoU), reinforcing a joint agenda to strengthen intra-African trade and bolster the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The MoU was signed during the recently concluded Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) by Afreximbank President and Chairman Prof. Benedict Oramah and ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton.
Renewed MoU and scope
According to reports, the renewed MoU places emphasis on practical enablers of trade. These include promoting SME competitiveness; capacity-building linked to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); support for sustainable livelihoods through the creative industries; strengthening Africa’s trade partnerships with the Caribbean and Arab regions; and expanding access to finance for businesses, including small businesses.
Executive Commentary
Commenting on the signing, Prof. Oramah said the renewed MoU would help expand Africa’s creative industries, deepen South-South cooperation with the Caribbean, and strengthen AfCFTA’s private-sector impact. He noted that the partnership between Afreximbank and ITC positioned them as joint leaders in ensuring that Africa’s SMEs and creative entrepreneurs gain global visibility and market access, adding that they were scaling up their collaboration to empower the SMEs and creative industries, foster Africa-Caribbean linkages, and advance AfCFTA implementation.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton stated: “Our long-term partnership with Afreximbank is one built on strengthening the way Africa engages with the rest of the world in terms of trade. With our expanded partnership, we will continue to work together to make trade easier, more accessible and less costly across the continent, for all African businesses, including the smallest and those led by women and youth.”
IATF2025 Context and Outcomes
The signing took place alongside IATF2025, which hosted more than 112,000 visitors from 132 countries and welcomed 2,148 exhibitors. Over the seven-day fair (4–10 September 2025), $48.3 billion in trade and investment deals were concluded, underscoring the fair’s role as a transaction-driven platform.
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