Afreximbank's Africa Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC) is expanding its network of national trade and logistics platforms into Zimbabwe and Malawi, with the new entities expected to strengthen regional supply chains, improve market access and support intra-African trade.
The platforms, launched through joint ventures with local partners, would provide services including commodity aggregation, warehousing, logistics, export development and trade finance to support businesses and exporters in the two countries, Afreximbank said in a statement.
National ATDC Zimbabwe has been established with CBZ Agro Yield, a subsidiary of CBZ Holdings, while National ATDC Malawi has been formed in partnership with Press Corporation.
In Zimbabwe, the platform will focus on commodity aggregation, export development, market intelligence, warehousing, logistics, supplier-buyer linkages and support for SMEs and emerging exporters. Afreximbank said it was expected to strengthen agricultural and industrial value chains, improve market access and position Zimbabwe as a competitive export hub.
The Malawi platform will focus on commodity trading, warehousing, exports, strategic imports, structured trade finance, collateral management, cold chain and logistics infrastructure, value addition and trade intelligence. It is intended to improve logistics efficiency, strengthen manufacturing and commodity value chains and attract investment into trade-enabling infrastructure.
According to Afreximbank, the platforms are designed to address persistent market fragmentation by aggregating supply, improving access to market intelligence, facilitating logistics and warehousing, supporting trade finance and connecting African producers with regional and international buyers.
The Zimbabwe and Malawi launches follow the establishment of ATDC Egypt earlier this year, bringing the number of national ATDC entities to three. Afreximbank plans to establish seven national platforms across Africa by the end of this year, with further expansion planned in 2027.
The bank said the initiative supported implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by creating commercially sustainable national trading platforms to accelerate industrialisation and regional trade.
Afreximbank's 2026 Africa Trade Report found that Africa's merchandise trade increased by 6.1% to approximately $1.5 trillion, while intra-African trade grew by 5.5% to about $213.8 billion. However, the report also identified trade finance gaps, infrastructure constraints and limited value addition as ongoing barriers to expanding regional trade.
"The signing of National ATDC Zimbabwe and National ATDC Malawi represents another important milestone in Afreximbank's strategy to build the trade infrastructure required to drive Africa's transformation," said Kanayo Awani, the bank's executive vice president for intra-African trade and export development.
She said the platforms would connect African producers to markets, facilitate trade finance and promote value addition through partnerships with local organisations.
