Access Bank Calls for Stakeholders Collaboration to Boost Intra-African Trade

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, has called for stronger collaboration among policymakers, financiers and businesses to accelerate trade within Africa and unlock the continent’s economic potential.

Ogbonna made the call at the Access Bank Africa Trade Conference (ATC 2026) held in South Africa, where he said Africa must address structural barriers that continue to limit the growth of intra-continental commerce despite its vast market opportunities.

Speaking during his opening remarks, the Access Bank Chief noted that the conference was convened to continue conversations which started at the inaugural edition in 2025 on how Africa can expand trade within the continent while strengthening its participation in global markets.

He noted that Africa’s share of global trade remains relatively small, stressing that fragmented trade corridors and structural bottlenecks continue to hinder the growth of commerce across the continent.

His words, “The reality is that Africa still controls a small share of global trade.

The corridors are still fragmented and more aspirational than functional, and too many small businesses that aspire to trade across Africa remain constrained”.

Further speaking, Ogbonna explained that stakeholders at last year’s conference agreed on three key priorities at transforming Africa’s trade landscape.

The priorities he listed include, (i) Breaking down silos between policymakers, financial institutions and businesses, (ii) Building a trade ecosystem driven by reliable data and analytics, and (iii) Developing systems that support both large corporations and smaller businesses seeking to expand across borders.

He noted that the 2026 edition of the conference is not a fresh start but a continuation of efforts to drive meaningful progress in intra-African trade.

According to him, since the last edition of the conference, some progress has been recorded across key sectors of the economy.

“We have seen value chains emerging across agriculture, manufacturing and services, and we are seeing African brands crossing borders and building a global presence,” he said.

Ogbonna also pointed to the growing role of technology platforms in reducing friction in areas such as payments, logistics and market access.

He, however acknowledged that the gains remain uneven across the continent, with progress concentrated in a few markets and specific trade corridors.

Speaking on the need for stronger infrastructure financing in growing intra African trade, the Director General for Southern Africa at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Kennedy Mbekeani, called for stronger mobilisation of private capital to finance critical infrastructure required to unlock the full potential of Africa’s trade integration.