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By Uche Usim
For those who may not know, Africa’s trade has remained a landscape of fragmented markets for decades. Efforts to have integrated corridors proved futile. This had an unsavoury effect on the continent. Despite its endowment, Africa was tossed to the periphery of global commerce. Its rich natural resources fueled economies around the world, yet the continent itself rarely influenced how trade was structured, financed, or governed.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has been no exception. Despite its size, the nation has struggled to translate economic scale into meaningful trade influence. Across the continent, trade patterns tell a similar story: Africa trades more with the rest of the world than with itself. Opportunities abound, but structural barriers have kept growth uneven and fragmented.
That narrative, however, is changing. At the center of this transformation is Access Bank, whose vision is unambiguous: Africa must stop watching global trade unfold from the sidelines and start actively shaping it. The bank’s Africa Trade Conference (ATC) 2026, scheduled for March 11 in Cape Town, South Africa, is designed to accelerate that shift.
The event charts a path for Nigerian and African businesses to turn vision into action and shape global trade on their own terms.
When Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, declared that “Africa will not be a spectator in the remaking of global trade,” he was making more than a statement. He was signaling a paradigm shift. The message was clear that the time for passive observation is over. Africa’s future in trade will be built by Africans, through their institutions, policies, and partnerships.
ATC 2026, themed “Turning Vision into Velocity: Building Africa’s Trade Ecosystem for Real-World Impact,” is not merely another conference. It is an action-oriented platform, designed to move the continent from aspiration to execution. The one-day forum brings together policymakers, development finance institutions, financial leaders, multinational corporations, and African businesses to address a single, urgent question: how can Africa accelerate its trade ecosystem to deliver measurable, tangible outcomes?
The programme reflects this purpose. Sessions are carefully structured to progress from continental outlooks and policy alignment to trade finance, payments, infrastructure, and practical execution for SMEs and large enterprises alike. The goal is clear: Africa’s trade story is no longer about potential; it’s about delivery.
From concept to execution
The second Access Bank Africa Trade Conference builds on momentum from the inaugural edition. Scheduled at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, ATC 2026 will feature ministerial panels, investor sessions, innovation showcases, and policy-aligned workshops. The objective is to advance the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from paper to practice, strengthen trade finance and payment systems, unlock capital flows, and foster real-world intra-African and global trade outcomes.
For years, Africa has been described as “the future”, a continent full of promise, energy, and untapped markets. But promise alone does not move containers across borders, build factories, or create resilient businesses. Action does. And action requires institutions willing to think beyond short-term wins and beyond home markets. Access Bank’s approach to ATC makes this clear. From the outset, the conference felt less like an industry gathering and more like a moment of reckoning, a forum where Africa’s trade narrative is being actively rewritten.
From the first session, the focus was on execution, not abstract theory. Discussions centered on practical systems, logistics, regulatory alignment, and finance, elements essential for moving goods, capital, and ideas across the continent. The central question was urgent and simple: how does Africa transform from a patchwork of fragmented economies into a connected, competitive trade bloc?
Roosevelt Ogbonna answered with clarity and purpose: “Africa cannot keep waiting for global systems to accommodate it on fair terms. We must design our own pathways, build our own trade finance architecture, and grow our own institutions to global standards. Not in isolation from the world, but on our own terms.” In his framing, Africa is not a charity case in global trade, it is a serious economic actor with the right to claim its place at the table.
Operational realities were emphasized by Seyi Kumapayi, Executive Director for African Subsidiaries at Access Bank. “Trade doesn’t work in speeches,” he explained. “It works in systems: payments that clear quickly, financing that matches business cycles, regulatory processes that don’t punish cross-border ambition.” With Access Bank present in over 20 African markets, Kumapayi stressed the responsibility that comes with scale: using the bank’s footprint to make movement across Africa easier, not harder.
Breaking barriers, the real challenges of African trade
What made the conference particularly impactful was the diversity of voices in the room. Policymakers, financiers, manufacturers, logistics operators, exporters, fintech founders, and investors were not separated by stage or hierarchy. They engaged in the same conversations, grappling with the same reality: Africa’s trade challenge is not opportunity, it is coordination.
Too many African businesses remain constrained by avoidable barriers: limited access to trade finance, inconsistent payment systems, weak market intelligence, and the absence of trusted partners across borders. These are not abstract issues, they are the daily frictions that prevent SMEs from becoming regional or global players. Access Bank’s approach addresses this problem holistically. Beyond funding, the bank offers advisory support, networks, digital platforms, and partnerships that facilitate trade at every stage.
Intra-African trade featured prominently in discussions. Africa, with more than 1.4 billion people, still trades shockingly little with itself. The continent exports raw materials and imports finished goods—a familiar story. Yet ATC 2026 focused on solutions: aligned policies, efficient infrastructure, smarter logistics, and financial institutions willing to underwrite cross-border risk.
Access Bank’s role is central. With subsidiaries spanning West, East, Central, and Southern Africa, it is one of the few institutions capable of linking producers, buyers, and markets in meaningful ways. “We are moving from presence to purpose,” Kumapayi explained. “Our network is designed to shorten the distance between African suppliers and African consumers.”
Conversations also explored Africa’s position in global value chains. The goal is not isolationism or protectionism but leverage. Ogbonna urged African companies to evolve beyond raw material exports into manufacturing, processing, logistics, and services. The objective is to compete and partner globally from positions of strength.
Trade as leadership
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The conference made one thing abundantly clear: trade is no longer just an economic issue; it is a leadership issue. It requires courage to invest beyond election cycles, discipline to build institutions instead of shortcuts, and humility to collaborate across borders, sectors, and egos. ATC 2026 did not pretend to have all the answers. But it achieved something more significant: it shifted mindsets from possibility to responsibility. Africa is no longer waiting for ideal conditions, it is building trade the hard way, patiently, practically, and collaboratively.
The upcoming ATC 2026 on March will continue this trajectory. Under the theme “Turning Vision into Velocity,” it will bring together policymakers, financiers, global investors, and business leaders to convert strategy into tangible outcomes. The conference will feature high-level plenaries, workshops, innovation and exhibition arenas, and networking sessions—all focused on scaling intra-African and global trade through policy alignment, infrastructure development, digitization, and innovative financing. Expected outcomes include increased capital flows, actionable frameworks for AfCFTA implementation, strengthened trade finance and payment systems, and expanded market access for SMEs and larger enterprises.
Demolishing obstacles to African trade
ATC 2026 focuses on real-world problems that limit African trade. At the first conference, leaders from 28 countries came together to address barriers constraining African businesses. According to Seyi Kumapayi, three challenges continue to slow trade: limited access to affordable finance, unreliable information, and weak trust between trading partners. These barriers help explain why intra-African trade remains around 16 percent of total trade—far below Europe’s 60 percent or Asia’s 40 percent.
Globally, trade dynamics are shifting. Supply chains are being restructured as countries seek trusted partners and alternative production hubs. Africa, with a population exceeding 1.3 billion and a combined GDP of roughly $3 trillion, offers enormous potential. Yet this potential will remain unrealized without strong financial systems, efficient infrastructure, clear rules, and modern technology. Access Bank understands this, positioning ATC 2026 not as a banking event but as a convergence point for policy, finance, technology, and business.
Nigeria’s strategic opportunity
For Nigeria, Access Bank’s strategy offers significant benefits. By expanding across 24 countries, including 16 in Africa, the bank is creating a network that simplifies cross-border trade for Nigerian businesses. Payments are smoother, risks better managed, and trade documentation easier to process. The bank has mobilized approximately $2 billion from development finance institutions for long-term lending across Africa, helping close the continent’s estimated $81 billion annual trade finance gap.
For Nigerian manufacturers, farmers, and exporters, these figures translate into practical benefits: working capital, supply chain financing, trade guarantees, and support for meeting international standards, a crucial barrier for non-oil exports. Through ATC 2026, exporters gain direct access to regulators, certification agencies, logistics firms, and buyers from other markets, removing obstacles that paperwork alone cannot solve.
Innovation and technology
The conference also emphasises innovation. Nigerian fintechs, agritech startups, and logistics solutions will be showcased to investors and partners. Technology is central to modern trade: digital solutions, from faster payments to smarter credit assessments, can reduce costs and speed transactions. Studies suggest digital trade tools could lower trade costs by up to 15 percent, a significant boost for SMEs.
Other African economies benefit as well. Access Bank’s presence in Southern, Eastern, and Central Africa positions the bank to facilitate regional trade models. Cape Town, hosting the conference for the second time, is a gateway economy connecting Nigerian capital, South African infrastructure, and regional supply chains. Countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could benefit from linked value chains in agriculture, energy, and mining.
AfCFTA and practical implementation
The African Continental Free Trade Area is central to this vision. While most African countries have signed and ratified the agreement, implementation remains uneven. Tariff schedules, rules of origin, and non-tariff barriers are progressing slowly. ATC 2026 offers an informal, but powerful, platform for policymakers and regulators to engage with businesses and financiers directly. By equipping companies with operational and financial tools, Access Bank helps transform political agreements into economic reality.
Inclusion is another priority. Women and youth own a substantial share of SMEs, yet they often lack access to trade finance. With SMEs employing over 80 percent of Africa’s workforce, addressing this gap is both socially and economically critical. ATC 2026 will explore financing models such as supply chain finance and receivables discounting to expand access to capital, enabling inclusive growth across the continent.
Africa trades on its own Terms
Global competition for African markets is intensifying. Major powers are expanding trade and investment across the continent. While these partnerships present opportunities, they also carry risks. ATC 2026, led by Africans, ensures that engagements align with the continent’s development priorities. Africa should trade with the world on its own terms, adding value locally rather than exporting raw materials alone.
Importantly, ATC emphasizes action. The theme’s focus on “real-world impact” underscores a desire to move beyond declarations to execution. Trade is built on relationships, trust, and continuity. Business is often done in sustained engagement rather than one-off meetings. Through ministerial panels, investor sessions, innovation showcases, and networking opportunities, the conference facilitates the type of connections that translate into real trade outcomes.
With platforms like ATC 2026, Africa is no longer a passive supplier of commodities. It is shaping the systems, relationships, and rules that define global trade.
The Access Bank Africa Trade Conference represents more than an event; it is a movement. It is where policymakers, financiers, investors, and businesses come together to turn aspiration into action. It is where African trade is defined not by limitations but by solutions, systems, and collaboration. If institutions like Access Bank continue to lead with clarity, commitment, and operational execution, Africa’s trade future will be built deal by deal, corridor by corridor, and business by business. ATC 2026 is not just about talking trade—it is about building it.
For Nigeria, Africa, and the global trade ecosystem, the message is unmistakable: the continent will no longer wait for opportunity to knock. It is building the door and Access Bank is holding the blueprint.
