Wayne Lumbasi
The African Export-Import Bank has officially launched the inaugural cohort of its Afreximbank Accelerator Programme, marking a significant step in its efforts to support startups driving digital transformation in Africa’s trade ecosystem. The programme kicked off with an intensive onboarding week held in Cairo from March 23 to 27, bringing together eight high-potential ventures from across the continent and the diaspora.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 1,600 applications, the startups represent a new wave of innovators building critical infrastructure to facilitate intra-African trade. Their solutions span key sectors such as cross-border payments, digital logistics, agri-export platforms, artificial intelligence-powered enterprise tools, supply chain finance, and diaspora investment mobilization areas widely seen as essential to unlocking seamless trade across African markets.
The cohort features a diverse mix of companies with both local and pan-African reach. These include Egypt’s Fincart.io; OnePort 365, which operates across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya; Timon, a platform active in 15 countries; Zowasel, with a presence in Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania; Gebeya, an Ethiopian-founded company with a continental footprint; Fluna, operating in 10 African countries; Nigeria’s CapsaTechnologies; and Daba Finance, which focuses on Francophone Africa. Together, they reflect the programme’s emphasis on scalable solutions capable of bridging fragmented markets.
Through the accelerator, Afreximbank will provide qualifying startups with investment of up to $250,000 each, subject to standard investment criteria and due diligence. In addition to funding, participants will benefit from mentorship, strategic partnerships, and access to new markets, all aimed at accelerating their growth and expansion across the continent.
The programme has been fully conceptualised, designed, and implemented by Afreximbank, underscoring the institution’s expanding role beyond traditional trade finance into ecosystem development. By supporting startups that tackle structural barriers such as limited access to finance, inefficient logistics, and regulatory fragmentation, the Bank is positioning itself as a key enabler of innovation-led trade.
The initiative also aligns with the broader goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which seeks to create a single, integrated market for goods and services across Africa. By empowering startups that can digitize trade processes and improve cross-border efficiencies, the accelerator is expected to contribute meaningfully to advancing continental economic integration.
As the inaugural cohort begins its journey, the programme is poised to not only accelerate the growth of participating startups but also help shape a more connected, competitive, and digitally enabled African trade landscape.
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