Afreximbank African Trade Centres: Catalyzing Business Across Africa and the Caribbean

Nigeria will host the grand opening of the first Afreximbank African Trade Centre (AATC) – a modern, twin nine-storey office and business hotel complex in Abuja.

Built with sustainability at its core, this green-certified facility sets a new standard for real estate development across the continent. It aims to reshape Africa’s trade and investment landscape, fostering innovation and collaboration in a world-class environment.

The Abuja AATC redefines how business clusters can drive opportunity, shift mindsets, and elevate Africa’s commercial infrastructure. As the first in a planned network, it establishes a new benchmark for integrated trade and workspace hubs.

The development features a 148-room, four-star business hotel alongside premium office spaces. It includes facilities for trade exhibitions, SME incubation, conferences, and other business services – tailored to support Africa’s growing trade ecosystem.

Afreximbank’s vision is to replicate this integrated model across the continent, creating scalable, high-impact trade hubs. Established to offer counter-cyclical support and drive economic transformation, the Bank continues to champion African self-reliance and intra-African trade.

The idea of AATCs was conceived in 2018, selecting nine key commercial cities to host the network: Abuja (Nigeria), Harare (Zimbabwe), Kampala (Uganda), Cairo (Egypt), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Yaoundé (Cameroon), Kigali (Rwanda), Tunis (Tunisia), and Bridgetown (Barbados).

With land secured from Nigeria and Zimbabwe, construction began in Abuja in 2021 and Harare in 2022. Abuja’s AATC is now complete, while Harare’s is scheduled to open this August. Kampala’s development began in late 2024, and Cairo’s is expected to start in September 2025.

These projects represent successful Public-Private Partnerships, aligning governments, investors, and Afreximbank in delivering on a shared vision: tailored financing and advisory solutions to expand and diversify intra- and extra-African trade.

Why include the Caribbean? The Barbados AATC will be a strategic trade hub linking Africa and the CARICOM region, fostering deeper economic ties. As Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, noted, it will become a gateway for Afri-Caribbean trade and investment—advancing the “Global Africa” narrative.

The US$180 million Barbados AATC, set for completion in 2028, will create 300 permanent jobs, expand hotel capacity in a tourism-dependent economy, and serve as Afreximbank’s CARICOM headquarters. It will also house a conference centre, SME incubator, Digital Trade Gateway, and exhibition space.

In a fragmented global economy, building trade bridges is more critical than ever. Through these Trade Centres, Afreximbank is catalyzing commerce, development, and empowerment. The Abuja AATC stands as a testament to the potential of business clusters to unlock growth, innovation, and opportunity across the continent and beyond.