Afreximbank is set to bring together trade finance and compliance experts, policymakers and industry leaders from across Africa as it seeks to strengthen intra-African trade and support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

For the first time, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will combine its annual Trade Finance Seminar and Compliance Forum in a single programme, scheduled to take place from November 16 to 18, 2026, at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana.

The programme, organised in partnership with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), will provide a platform for financial, regulatory and trade communities to examine how stronger trade finance and compliance frameworks can support trade, investment, industrialisation and economic integration across the continent.

The programme will also include a Factoring Workshop on November 19, which will focus on factoring and other alternative trade finance solutions as tools for improving businesses’ 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.”

The seminar will examine how trade finance can support the implementation of the AfCFTA, strengthen regional value chains, finance trade-enabling infrastructure and promote economic integration across Africa.

Speaking on the programme, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank, Haytham El Maayergi, said the seminar was coming at a critical time for African trade.

He said the AfCFTA was creating a larger and more integrated market, but its success would depend on the ability of African economies to finance trade, value chains and infrastructure connecting them.

“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,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, Keletsositse Olebile, said the programme would provide Botswana with an opportunity to welcome delegates from Africa and beyond while showcasing the country’s growing role in regional trade and investment.

Olebile said Botswana was proud to partner with Afreximbank to host the Compliance Forum, Trade Finance Seminar and Factoring Workshop, adding that the events would highlight the country’s commitment to 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.”

According to Afreximbank’s Compliance Director, Idrissa Diop, compliance should not be viewed only as a regulatory requirement but also as an important part of building trusted and sustainable trade.

Diop said the forum would bring together 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.

The combined programme is expected to provide a platform for participants to share knowledge and explore practical solutions to Africa’s trade finance gap while supporting stronger regional value chains and the implementation of the AfCFTA.