The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new African Trade Center and World Headquarters in Egypt’s new administrative capital on Saturday, December 14, 2025, marking a major milestone in its continental trade ambitions. The facility, located in the diplomatic district about 45 kilometers east of Cairo, will be the first trade center of its kind in North Africa.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said at the ceremony that the project reflects Egypt’s central role in Africa’s economic integration and trade facilitation. He noted that locating Afreximbank’s headquarters will strengthen Egypt’s position as a continental trade and investment center. The groundbreaking ceremony brought together diplomats and business leaders from across Africa, including banking executives and construction partners.
Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Afreximbank, thanked the Egyptian government for its support over the years, noting that Egypt has been the bank’s headquarters since its establishment in 1993 and remains its largest sovereign shareholder through the Central Bank of Egypt. He revealed that Afreximbank has disbursed approximately US$41 billion to the Egyptian economy supporting sectors such as energy, communications construction and manufacturing.
Dr Elombi explained that the new Africa Trade Center is designed to address one of Africa’s long-standing challenges: limited access to reliable trade and investment information. The center will serve as a hub for trade intelligence innovation capacity building and digital trade services. He said the lack of trade and investment information among African businesses was a challenge that had hindered the growth of intra-African trade and investment for nearly 70 years.
The complex, which will be built on a site of 48,888 square meters, will include modern offices, a trade information centre, a library, a knowledge hub innovation, a small and medium enterprise (SME) incubation centre, a conference and exhibition centre, retail outlets and a 110-room aparthotel. The development will have two basement floors and six floors above ground, with a total built-up area of 156,147 square meters. It also features an environmentally friendly design that aims to achieve Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification or higher.
Construction will be led by Hassan Alam Construction under a US$249.5 million contract with EHAF Consulting Engineers to oversee design and supervision. CEO Hassan Alam noted that the collaboration with Afreximbank reflects a shared belief in the power of infrastructure to unlock Africa’s economic potential. The project is expected to create significant jobs during the construction and operational phases.
The complex will be home to a full suite of modern trade support facilities, including a trade information centre, a world-class library and knowledge hub, an SME incubation center to support innovation and entrepreneurship at the Afreximbank Corporate Museum, a 750-seat modern conference centre, an exhibition centre, retail and food and beverage outlets, extensive back-of-house and support facilities, and a 1200-space parking structure. The contract includes the complete supply and installation of mechanical electrical plumbing (MEP) systems, hard and soft landscaping, and furniture fixtures and equipment (FF&E).
The Cairo Trade Center is scheduled for completion in early 2029, following the groundbreaking ceremony of the Barbados Center in March 2025 and the official opening of the Abuja Center in April 2025. Construction of similar projects is already underway in Harare and Kampala. The Afreximbank African Trade Center network includes hubs in Abuja, Nigeria, Harare, Zimbabwe, Kampala, Uganda, Cairo, Egypt, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Yaounde, Cameroon, Bridgetown, Barbados, Kigali, Rwanda, Tunis and Tunisia.
The African Trade Center in Cairo will position Egypt as a major trade hub housing technology and small business development center, as well as a digital African trade gateway providing trade information, customer due diligence payments and other digital services. These centers provide trade information, market intelligence, financing networking and collaboration opportunities, and important support facilities to facilitate trade, strengthen economic cooperation, and foster intra-African growth.
These centers will connect buyers, sellers, suppliers, service providers, businesses, governments, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, development organizations and the broader trade and investment community in Africa and the world. This network represents Afreximbank’s broader vision to develop African Trade Centers in strategic commercial hubs across Africa and the Caribbean to address trade information gaps.
Founded in 1936, Hassan Allam Holding is one of the largest companies in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with over 90 years of operating experience in 10 countries. The group works on complex large-scale projects in diverse sectors across engineering construction and infrastructure, including energy, water, logistics and petrochemicals. The company brings extensive experience to projects of continental importance.
Dr. Elombi described Afreximbank’s relationship with the Egyptian government as a truly symbiotic bank that helps Egyptian companies take advantage of growing investment opportunities across Africa, helping them secure and execute projects in multiple countries. This partnership demonstrates the mutual benefits of hosting major continental financial institutions and provides a model for similar arrangements across Africa.
Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution whose mission is to finance and facilitate trade within and across Africa. For 30 years, the Bank has introduced innovative structures that provide financing solutions that support the transformation of Africa’s trade structure to accelerate industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby fostering economic expansion. The bank serves as a major multilateral development financial institution supporting intercontinental trade.
Afreximbank, a passionate supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), has launched the Pan-African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS), which has been adopted by the African Union (AU) as a payments platform to support the implementation of the AfCFTA. The Bank, in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, has established a USD 10 billion coordination fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA.
As of the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and reserves exceeded USD 40.1 billion, and shareholder funds amounted to USD 7.2 billion. Afreximbank has a GCR International Scale A, Moody’s Baa2 China Chengxin International Credit Rating Corporation (CCXI) AAA Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) A minus, and an investment grade rating assigned by Fitch BBB minus reflecting its strong financial position.
Abuja Africa Trade Center achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of green building certification, in December 2025. The Abuja Center now stands as a living demonstration of Afreximbank’s vision of integrating commercial competitiveness innovation and sustainability into Africa’s trade infrastructure. This certification demonstrates our commitment to environmentally responsible development across our network.
The African Trade Center network addresses a fundamental challenge facing African businesses: the lack of comprehensive and reliable trade and investment information. By establishing centers in strategic locations across the continent, Afreximbank aims to reduce information asymmetries, foster business connections and accelerate intra-African trade. This initiative supports continental integration objectives under the AfCFTA framework.
Egypt has been home to Afreximbank since 1993, reflecting the North African country’s long-standing partnership with the Pan-African financial institution. This relationship has facilitated the flow of significant investment into the Egyptian economy and enabled Egyptian companies to expand their operations across the continent. The new headquarters and trade center further deepens this strategic partnership.
This development is consistent with Egypt’s broader economic transformation agenda, including the construction of a new administrative capital as a modern government and business center. Its location in the diplomatic district places the facility alongside government ministries, foreign embassies and international organizations, creating a strategic ecosystem for continental trade facilitation and economic cooperation.
Ghana is not currently a member of Afreximbank, but the 2024 National Democratic Party Congress Manifesto pledges to seek membership to expand development financing opportunities. Membership provides Ghanaian businesses with access to trade finance facilities market information and networking opportunities through the African Trade Center network. The bank’s expansion provides opportunities for deeper engagement with the West African economy.
This groundbreaking ceremony marks an important milestone in Afreximbank’s institutional development and continental trade facilitation agenda. This project demonstrates a commitment to building physical infrastructure that supports the flow of information and business connectivity and trade facilitation across Africa. The success of the network depends on effective coordination between centers, strong partnerships with member states, and continued financial sustainability.
Future phases will see the completion of centers across multiple African cities and the Caribbean region, creating a comprehensive network serving the continent and diaspora trading communities. This commitment represents a long-term investment in trade infrastructure that has the potential to transform the way African businesses access information, connect with partners and expand across borders.
