Afreximbank to hold first combined Trade Finance Seminar and Compliance Forum in Gaborone, Botswana
For the first time, Afreximbank will bring together two of its flagship annual knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programmes - the 2026 Afreximbank Trade Finance Seminar and the Afreximbank Compliance Forum, uniting industry leaders, policymakers and experts to strengthen trade finance, compliance and Africa’s economic transformation.
Organised in partnership with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), the combined programme will take place at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana from 16 to 18 November 2026.
The joint Trade Finance Seminar and Compliance Forum will bring together Global Africa’s financial, regulatory, and trade communities to exchange knowledge, share perspectives, and explore how stronger trade finance and compliance frameworks can support trade, investment, industrialisation, and economic integration.
The Factoring Workshop on 19 November will extend the discussions to the role of factoring and other alternative trade finance solutions in supporting businesses and expanding access to finance.
The Afreximbank Trade Finance Seminar 2026 (ATFS2026) will be held under the theme “Trade Financing in the AfCFTA Era: Resilient Value Chains, Infrastructure and Market Integration.” It will examine how trade finance can support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), strengthen regional value chains, finance trade-enabling infrastructure and accelerate economic integration across the continent.
Mr Haytham El Maayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank, said: “ATFS2026 comes at a critical time for African trade. The AfCFTA is creating a larger and more integrated market, but its success will depend on our ability to finance the trade, value chains and infrastructure that connect African economies. By bringing together trade finance, compliance and market practitioners, we aim to turn that opportunity into more bankable transactions, stronger regional value chains and increased intra-African trade.”
Mr Keletsositse Olebile, Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, said:
“This is an important opportunity for Botswana to welcome delegates from across Africa and beyond while showcasing our country’s warmth and hospitality.
“Botswana is proud to partner with Afreximbank to host the Compliance Forum, Trade Finance Seminar and Factoring Workshop. These events will highlight Botswana’s growing role as a regional trade and investment hub, as well as its commitment to advancing economic development and continental cooperation.”
The Afreximbank Compliance Forum 2026 (ACF2026) will be held under the theme “Better Compliance, Better Trade: Leveraging Compliance to Promote African Regulations that Advance Intra-African Economic and Trade Integration.”
Mr Idrissa Diop, Compliance Director at Afreximbank, said: “Compliance must be recognised not simply as a regulatory obligation, but as an essential enabler of trusted, resilient and sustainable trade.
“Through ACF2026, we aim to bring together the institutions shaping Africa’s financial and trade architecture to identify practical ways of aligning compliance standards, managing emerging risks and reducing unnecessary barriers to intra-African trade and business growth.
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa's trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A strong supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2025, Afreximbank's total assets and contingencies stood at over US$48.5 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$8.4 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), GCR (A), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-), Moody's (Baa2) and S&P Global Ratings (BBB+). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
The Botswana Investment and Trade Centre – BITC, was established by an Act of Parliament in 2012 as an integrated Investment and Trade Promotion Authority (ITPA) with a mandate encompassing investment promotion and attraction, export promotion and development, and management of the Nation Brand. Through its critical role within Botswana’s economy, BITC canvasses and facilitates domestic investment and expansions, promotes locally manufactured goods to regional and international markets, contributes towards improvement of the investment climate through policy advocacy, increases citizen participation in the economy and creates sustainable job opportunities. BITC hosts the Botswana One Stop Service Centre which is a one-stop investor facilitation centre.