Afreximbank (African Export-Import Bank) has selected the top eight finalists of the first cohort of the Afreximbank Accelerator Program. This three-month initiative, beginning in March, is designed to empower Africa’s most promising startups that are driving innovation in intra-African trade.
The finalists were carefully selected from more than 1,600 applications. The process included detailed business assessments, interviews, and pitch sessions, overseen by a panel of trade specialists alongside external experts from the venture capital and innovation ecosystem.
Representing innovations in sectors such as agriculture, e-commerce, market access, financial technology solutions, supply chain enhancement and manufacturing, these startups are poised to address critical trade challenges affecting both continental and diaspora markets, while also advancing intra-African trade and industrialization.
The geographic diversity of applications, from across Africa, the diaspora, and CARICOM demonstrates the programme’s broad reach and stands as a testament to Afreximbank’s commitment to integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). By prioritizing solutions from Seed to Series A, the program aims not only to accelerate start-ups growth but also to foster a sustainable ecosystem for trade-led development across Africa.
Afreximbank Accelerator Program will provide finalists with a comprehensive package of support including:
Equity investment: Equity financing- subject to selection criteria-of up to $250,000 through Afreximbank’s impact equity investment arm, Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), enabling rapid scale-up and operational growth.
Mentorship: Access to seasoned experts and industry leaders to refine business strategies and accelerate market entry. These include leading investors, trade specialists, and industry thought leaders committed to fostering Africa’s economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Market access: Connection to Afreximbank’s pan-African trade ecosystem, including trade facilitation programmes, regulatory pathways as well as exclusive opportunities to leverage Afreximbank’s extensive network of government stakeholders, private sector players, and multilateral partners to secure partnerships and funding.
During the program, finalists will engage in virtual learning modules, hands-on workshops, and in-person sessions hosted across regional hubs such as Abuja, Nairobi and Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo. This immersive experience will culminate in a high-profile Demo Day, where startups will showcase their innovative solutions to an influential audience of global investors, policymakers, and industry champions.
Haytham Elmaayergi, executive vice president, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank said,
“The Afreximbank Accelerator Program reflects our belief in the power of innovation to transform intra-African trade and also underscores the important role that Global Africa’s innovation plays in realizing the promise of the AfCFTA. This inaugural cohort represents the future of African enterprise, and we are proud to invest in them from vision to scale to nurture solutions needed to unlock trade across Africa, the diaspora, and the Caribbean.”