The inaugural Africa Trade Conference 2025 (ATC 2025), hosted by Access Bank Plc, is set to bring together some of the most influential voices in global trade and finance to shape the future of Africa’s economic transformation. The conference, themed “Empowering Africa: Driving Trade, Innovation, and Sustainable Prosperity,” will take place on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), South Africa.
The event will feature Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), who will deliver the keynote address on how the AfCFTA can drive economic growth and industrialisation across the continent. Other speakers include Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, who will examine the opportunities and challenges in Africa’s trade landscape, and Dr. Marc Auboin, Counsellor at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), who will explore the impact of digitisation and innovation on Africa’s global trade potential.
The conference will also feature insights from Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank Plc, alongside executives from Access Bank’s subsidiaries in Angola, South Africa, and the UK. Panel discussions and expert sessions will delve into critical themes such as trade facilitation, the role of finance in industrial growth, and the intersection of trade and environmental sustainability.
Solomon Quaynor, Vice President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), will provide a forward-looking perspective on trade facilitation and its impact on economic growth, while Tanya Dos Santos-Ford, Faculty Lead on Climate Leadership and Sustainability at GIBS Business School, will highlight the growing importance of sustainability in Africa’s evolving trade ecosystem.
ATC 2025 promises to be a landmark event for trade experts, business leaders, investors, and policymakers. Attendees can expect high-impact discussions, strategic networking opportunities, and a roadmap for driving sustainable prosperity across the continent.
The roster of more industry leaders expected are Eduardo Barbosa, Chief Financial Officer of Grupo Naval; Olumide Olatunji, Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana; Florian Wicht, Regional Lead Africa for Trade & Supply Chain Finance at IFC; and Ricardo Ferreira, Managing Director of Access Bank Angola. Other participants include Johnson Ememandu, Head of Commercial Bank at Access Bank UK; Marcelo Mendes, Head of Commercial at Tennant Metals South Africa; and Kristina Holzhauser, Managing Director of Regional FI Africa & Middle East at Commerzbank AG.
Additional speakers include Ferdinand Zaumu, Managing Director and Head of Trade & Working Capital Solutions for Middle East and Africa at Citibank; Shyamasish Acharya, Resident Representative of India EXIM Bank; and Srividya Subramanian, Global Head of Sales and Origination at Traydstream. The diverse lineup underscores the conference’s commitment to fostering cross-sector collaboration and actionable insights.