CAIRO, Egypt, June 24, 2026/APO Group: African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched the 2026 edition of its flagship African Trade Report themed “Leveraging Geopolitics for Trade and Industrialisation in Global Africa.”
The report stresses Africa’s continued growth resilience despite significant headwinds arising from escalating geopolitical tensions and ensuing economic shifts. Reflecting the continent’s resilience, the report shows that while global economic growth slowed to 3.4 percent in 2025 and is projected to further ease to 3.1 percent in 2026, Africa’s real GDP growth strengthened from 3.4 percent in 2024 to 4.5 percent in 2025.
This performance not only surpasses the global average but also highlights the continent’s improving economic fundamentals in a fractured world economic order. Aggregate inflation, on the continent, witnessed a sharp decline from 21.6 percent in 2024 to 13.1 percent in 2025.
Commenting on the Africa Trade Report’s findings, Group Chief Economist and Managing Director of Research and Trade Intelligence at Afreximbank, Dr Yemi Kale, said: “Africa stands at a critical juncture. Geopolitical tensions and economic fragmentation are reshaping global trade patterns, but they also present a historic opportunity for the continent. By strategically leveraging these shifts, Africa can build a more resilient, competitive, and inclusive economic future.
“It is imperative for the continent to act decisively to strengthen regional value chains, deepen industrial capacity, expand access to trade finance, and accelerate continental integration. Through coordinated policy action, strategic infrastructure investment, and stronger development finance institutions, Africa can build a more resilient, inclusive, and value-added trade ecosystem. Africa cannot afford to delay.”
The report further highlights that Africa’s export performance remains constrained by a persistent trade finance gap, estimated at approximately US$74 billion in 2025. The challenge is exacerbated by limited foreign exchange liquidity and the continued decline in correspondent banking relationships, factors that restrict the continent’s capacity to fully realise its trade and industrial potential.
At the same time, evolving shipping routes and prolonged disruptions to global logistics networks continue to extend delivery timelines and increase freight and trading costs. These pressures are particularly acute for African economies, which are heavily reliant on imported inputs and external markets, even as global supply chains increasingly reconfigure toward resilience, diversification, and the emergence of alternative production hubs.
The report also outlines several strategic priorities, including the accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), expansion of digital payments infrastructure through the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), as well as coordinated reforms to the global financial architecture. It further underscores the growing role of African financial institutions in strengthening economic resilience.
As geopolitical tensions continue to reshape global supply chains and trade patterns, the continent’s ability to leverage these shifts will depend on strengthening industrial ecosystems, expanding intra-African trade, and sustaining coordinated financial support. Ultimately, a combination of adaptive policy frameworks, strategic trade positioning, and robust direct foreign investment interventions will be central to driving a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable industrialisation pathway for Global Africa. The imperative now is to act with ambition and urgency.
The report also advocates on the need to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), expanding intra-African trade finance, strengthening transport and logistics infrastructure, and deepening digital payment systems through the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).
