The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is set to convene the sixth African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) Investment Conference in Calabar, Cross River State, from November 12 to 14, 2026, to strengthen sub-national investment financing, industrialisation and intra-African trade.

The conference, organised in partnership with the Cross River State Government, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Forum of State Investment Promotion Agencies in Nigeria (FoSIPAN), will bring together African sub-national governments, investors, financial institutions and development partners to develop investment-ready projects and facilitate trade and investment opportunities across the continent.
The conference, scheduled to hold at the Calabar International Convention Centre, has as its theme, “The Role of Sub-Sovereigns in Catalysing Development Through Trade and Investment”.

Established in 2021, AfSNET provides a platform for states, provinces, counties, municipalities and other sub-national authorities to showcase investment opportunities, engage financiers and strengthen their capacity to prepare projects capable of attracting funding.
The initiative also seeks to bring the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Afreximbank’s financial products closer to local economies, enabling sub-national governments to contribute more directly to continental trade, industrialisation and economic integration.
Since its establishment, the network has convened over 1,400 delegates across five editions, with participation from 21 African countries. It has also facilitated more than $3.2bn in investment opportunities and transactions.
The Cross River State Government has appointed Afreximbank as financial adviser for the proposed $1.7bn Bakassi Deep Seaport project. The project is expected to strengthen maritime connectivity and support industrial and logistics development.

This edition will build on previous efforts to promote investment, improve project preparation and facilitate direct engagement between sub-national governments and potential investors. However, the focus will increasingly shift towards converting investment opportunities into bankable projects capable of securing financing and progressing to implementation.
The programme will feature investment promotion training, project preparation workshops, investment showcases, discussions on Special Economic Zones, business-to-government deal rooms and investment pitch sessions designed to connect participating governments with financiers and investors.

Participants will also examine opportunities in tourism, the creative economy, trade-enabling infrastructure and regional economic integration.
Speaking, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu said hosting the event would provide the state with an opportunity to engage African and international investors, showcase its investment potential and establish partnerships to support sustainable economic development.
He said the state looks forward to welcoming governments, businesses, financiers and development partners to Calabar, while demonstrating the role sub-national governments could play in advancing trade and investment under the AfCFTA.

Similarly, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank, Kanayo Awani, said sub-national governments are central to Africa’s economic transformation because much of the continent’s production, infrastructure development and investment takes place at that level.
She said AfSNET was designed to help states, provinces and counties improve project preparation, connect viable investment opportunities with capital and strengthen productive capacity to expand intra-African trade.
According to her, the forthcoming conference will place particular emphasis on bankable projects, investment mobilisation and partnerships capable of supporting industrialisation, value addition and stronger regional value chains.

Through AfSNET, the bank seeks to translate the continent’s trade ambitions into productive investment and economic activity by improving project development, investment promotion and access to capital at the sub-national level.
The conference is expected to strengthen links between investment opportunities and available financing, while equipping participating authorities with the knowledge, networks and tools to develop projects capable of attracting long-term investment.