The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has selected eight African technology startups to join the inaugural cohort of its new Accelerator Programme, a three-month initiative aimed at boosting innovation that supports intra-African trade and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The programme, which launches in March 2026, drew more than 1,600 applications from across Africa, the diaspora and the Caribbean before a rigorous selection process that included business evaluations, interviews and pitch sessions by Afreximbank trade specialists and external innovation experts.
The selected startups come from a range of African markets and sectors related to trade bottlenecks such as financial technology, supply chain and logistics, e-commerce and market access. Five of the companies are based in Nigeria, with additional participants from Egypt, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Under the programme, participating startups will receive mentoring, technical support and access to Afreximbank’s institutional network, including potential equity financing of up to US$250,000 through the bank’s impact investment arm, the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA).
The Accelerator will combine virtual learning, hands-on workshops and in-person sessions hosted in regional innovation hubs and Afreximbank’s headquarters. It will conclude with a “Demo Day” where startups will showcase their solutions to global investors, policymakers and industry leaders.
Afreximbank says the initiative reflects a strategic shift toward backing digital and technology-led solutions that can address structural barriers to trade, including high transaction costs, fragmented payment systems and limited access to credit for small firms, challenges that have historically constrained intra-African trade.
The programme aligns with Afreximbank’s broader mandate to support industrialisation and economic integration across the continent under the AfCFTA, which aims to create a single continental market. Despite the agreement’s potential, intra-African trade remains below 20 % of total African trade, far lower than comparable regions such as Europe and Asia.
By linking early-stage innovators with a major multilateral trade finance institution, Afreximbank intends to accelerate the adoption of practical solutions for risk assessment, digital trade documentation and cross-border payments, critical components for enabling more efficient and sustainable regional trade flows.
