Afreximbank brings flagship meetings to Gaborone

Afreximbank, the Pan-African multilateral financial institution, will for the first time this year bring together two of its flagship annual knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programmes to Gaborone, Botswana.

The funder’s 2026 Afreximbank Trade Finance Seminar and the Afreximbank Compliance Forum, are expected to unite industry leaders, policymakers and experts to strengthen trade finance, compliance and Africa’s economic transformation.

According to organisers, the events that are organised in partnership with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) with the combined programme slated to take place at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana from November 16 to 18, 2026.

The joint Trade Finance Seminar and Compliance Forum will bring together Global Africa’s financial, regulatory, and trade communities to exchange knowledge, share perspectives, and explore how stronger trade finance and compliance frameworks can support trade, investment, industrialisation, and economic integration.

The Factoring Workshop on November 19 will extend the discussions to the role of factoring and other alternative trade finance solutions in supporting businesses and expanding access to finance, the bank officials announced.

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.” It will examine how trade finance can support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), strengthen regional value chains, finance trade-enabling infrastructure and accelerate economic integration across the continent.

Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Haytham El Maayergi, said ATFS2026 comes at a critical time for African trade.

“The AfCFTA is creating a larger and more integrated market, but its success will depend on our ability to finance the trade, value chains and infrastructure that connect African economies,” El Maayergi, stated.

“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.”

From his side, BITC Chief Executive Officer, Keletsositse Olebile said this is an important opportunity for Botswana to welcome delegates from across Africa and beyond while showcasing the country’s warmth and hospitality.

“Botswana is proud to partner with Afreximbank to host the Compliance Forum, Trade Finance Seminar and Factoring Workshop. These events will highlight Botswana’s growing role as a regional trade and investment hub, as well as its commitment to advancing economic development and continental cooperation,” he added.

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.”

Afreximbank Director of Compliance, Idrissa Diop said: “Compliance must be recognised not simply as a regulatory obligation, but as an essential enabler of trusted, resilient and sustainable trade.

“Through ACF2026, we aim to bring together the 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.”