Established in response to a mandate from the African Union, which called for a permanent African Business Forum to convene biennially in Egypt, the inaugural edition will bring together Heads of State and official delegations as well as some key actors in business and finance.
 




 

The forum is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future.

The Presidents of Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Libya, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa are expected in Alamein as well as President Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt who is the host of this year’s AU Mid-Year Summit. Business leaders from across the continent have confirmed their participation including Ralph Mupita, MTN; Idrissa Nassa, Coris Bank; Mohamed El Ketani, Attijariwafa Bank; Hichem Eloumi, Groupe Shakira; Wale Tinubu, Oando; and many more. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s biggest industrialist is also expected to attend, with the organisers hoping to set up a Business Advisory Council to help advance private sector priorities and investment throughout the continent.

Bringing together leaders in politics, business and policy from across the continent, the Alamein Africa Forum will provide a unique opportunity to shape Africa’s growth agenda by aligning policy and investment priorities, mobilising partnerships for implementation and strengthening financing and investment pathways. The private sector must become an integral part of Agenda 2063, the AU’s strategic 50 year masterplan to transform the continent.

Co-organised by the Government of Egypt, Afreximbank, the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD, the Forum brings together Africa’s most influential decision-makers in an unprecedented alliance of public and private sector leadership.

Speaking on the imperative of the summit at a joint press conference by the government of Egypt and Afreximbank on Thursday, September 17 2026, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Expatriates Abroad said (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag): “The Alamein Africa Forum will serve as a pan-African platform bringing together the private sector, investment and financial institutions, and representatives of various productive and service sectors, to strengthen direct links between companies and markets and decision making at the highest level.”

Continuing, he noted that the Alamein Africa Forum is part of a series of high-level African events that Egypt will host in early October, stressing that holding the forum reflects Egypt’s commitment to advancing continental economic cooperation

In his own comments, Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank described (https://apo-opa.co/4ygiQag) the Alamein Africa Forum as a pan-African platform for promoting intra-African trade and investment and connecting the business community and financial institutions with priority projects and investment opportunities in the continent.

CAIRO, Egypt, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ —

• Landmark joint programme will connect trade finance and compliance expertise to advance intra-African trade.
• The Compliance Forum will explore how stronger, more coordinated frameworks can deepen African economic integration and facilitate international trade.
• The Trade Finance Seminar will bring together leading trade finance practitioners to explore solutions that can strengthen regional value chains, close Africa’s trade finance gap and support AfCFTA implementation.

For the first time, Afreximbank (https://www.Afreximbank.com/) will bring together two of its flagship annual knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programmes – the 2026 Afreximbank Trade Finance Seminar and the Afreximbank Compliance Forum, uniting industry leaders, policymakers and experts to strengthen trade finance, compliance and Africa’s economic transformation.

Organised in partnership with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), the combined programme will take place at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana from 16 to 18 November 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 19 November will extend the discussions to the role of factoring and other alternative trade finance solutions in supporting businesses and expanding 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.” 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.

Mr Haytham El Maayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank, 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. 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.”

Mr Keletsositse Olebile, Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, said:

“This is an important opportunity for Botswana to welcome delegates from across Africa and beyond while showcasing our 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.”

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.”

Mr Idrissa Diop, Compliance Director at Afreximbank, 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.

Further information about ACF2026 and ATFS2026 and registration can be found on the site https://apo-opa.co/4AsLd6p

Aimed at strengthening the financial capacity underpinning the EAC Customs Bond and supporting the transition to a more seamless digital and integrated customs environment, the facility will enable BSMART Technology Ltd to strengthen the implementation and market uptake of the EAC Customs Bond

The financial support builds on Afreximbank’s close collaboration with the EAC Secretariat, which began with the pilot phase of the EAC Customs Bond in August 2025 and the subsequent launch of the Bond during the Heads of State Summit in March 2026. Through the Afreximbank African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme (AACTGS), the Bank has been in the lead in supporting the development of regional customs guarantee and digital solutions that facilitate intra-African trade.

Afreximbank considers the EAC Customs Bond a significant step towards simplifying and digitising customs processes across the East Africa region as it enables clearing and forwarding agents and other eligible users, like guarantors and customs authorities, to access customs bonds through a digital platform, reducing reliance on physical documentation and improving cross-border movement of goods. The solution is designed to eliminate the need for physical bond documentation to be posted at each border for the entry and exit of goods, supporting a seamless transit environment.

By strengthening the financial capacity supporting the digital customs ecosystem, the new facility is expected to lead to the expansion and adoption of the EAC Customs Bond across the region, improve access to capacity, reduce administrative and documentation requirements and facilitate faster movement of goods across the borders. It is also expected to support greater digitisation of customs processes, thereby contributing to the broader objective of increasing intra-Africa trade.

Highlighting the significance of the facility, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said:

“This facility demonstrates Afreximbank’s commitment to developing practical solutions that break down the barriers to intra-African trade. With the EAC Customs Bond, we are supporting the digitisation and simplification of access to customs guarantees for businesses moving goods across the region – cutting costs and improving the efficiency of customs procedures.

“The Bond complements Afreximbank’s broader AACTGS programme to strengthen capacity across Africa. It deepens our relationship with the EAC Secretariat and other stakeholders, including the regional economic commissions. Above all, this intervention aligns with the Bank’s mandate to support the implementation of the AfCFTA and accelerate the integration of African markets.”

Mr Stephen Teang, Managing Director, BSMART Technology Ltd said: “This facility provides important support for BSMART’s growth ambitions and reflects strong confidence in EACBond. We thank Afreximbank for their partnership and support.”

The EAC Secretariat began piloting the EAC Customs Bond in Uganda in 2025. It then followed with the onboarding and participation of Rwanda and Burundi in January 2026 and an official launch at the 25th Summit of Heads of State in March 2026. Under the Bond digital platform, an agent moving goods across multiple countries can do so digitally rather than go through the traditional physical submission of documents at each border post, reducing administrative processes and avoiding delays.