The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Roosevelt Ogbonna, has called for stronger collaboration among policymakers, financial institutions and businesses to accelerate intra-African trade and unlock the continent’s vast economic potential.
Ogbonna made the remarks during the Access Bank Africa Trade Conference (ATC 2026) held in South Africa. He noted that while Africa holds immense market opportunities, structural barriers continue to limit trade within the continent.
According to him, the conference builds on discussions that began during the inaugural edition in 2025, aimed at exploring ways to expand trade across Africa while strengthening the continent’s participation in global markets.
“The reality is that Africa still controls a small share of global trade. Trade corridors remain fragmented and too many small businesses that aspire to trade across Africa remain constrained,” Ogbonna said.
Key priorities for transforming Africa’s trade landscape
Ogbonna highlighted three priorities agreed upon during the previous conference to transform Africa’s trade ecosystem. These include breaking down silos between policymakers, financial institutions and businesses, building a trade ecosystem driven by reliable data and analytics, and developing systems that support both large corporations and small businesses expanding across borders.
He added that since the last conference, progress has been recorded in several sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and services, with African brands increasingly expanding across borders and gaining global recognition.
Technology platforms, he said, are also helping to reduce barriers in payments, logistics and market access, although the benefits remain uneven across the continent.
Financing infrastructure and aligning policies
Speaking at the conference, Kennedy Mbekeani of the African Development Bank emphasised the need to mobilise private capital to finance critical infrastructure needed to support trade integration.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Chipoka Mulenga stressed the importance of consistent and harmonised policies across African countries to strengthen intra-continental trade.
Similarly, Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare noted that Africa already has numerous policy frameworks but faces challenges in harmonised implementation.
Botswana’s Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship Tiroeaone Ntsima added that governments must create enabling environments that allow businesses and investors to drive growth while developing trade corridors that connect regional markets.
Ogbonna concluded by urging stakeholders to move beyond dialogue and take concrete steps to strengthen trade partnerships, noting that Africa’s economic transformation will depend on stronger collaboration across the continent.