By African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will hold its 2026 Trade Finance Seminar and Compliance Forum jointly in Gaborone in November, bringing together financial, regulatory and trade professionals to discuss financing, compliance and intra-African trade.
The programmes will take place at the Gaborone International Convention Centre from Nov. 16 to 18, with an additional factoring workshop scheduled for Nov. 19, according to Afreximbank.
The combined event marks the first time the bank has brought together the two annual programmes, which have previously been held separately.
Afreximbank said the initiative is intended to connect expertise in trade finance and compliance as African countries work to deepen regional trade and economic integration.
The Afreximbank Trade Finance Seminar 2026, known as ATFS2026, will be held under the theme “Trade Financing in the AfCFTA Era: Resilient Value Chains, Infrastructure and Market Integration.”
The seminar will examine how trade finance can support implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, or AfCFTA, including by strengthening regional value chains, financing trade-related infrastructure and supporting greater economic integration.
Haytham El Maayergi, Afreximbank’s executive vice president for global trade bank, said the success of the continental free trade agreement would depend partly on the ability to finance trade, value chains and infrastructure linking African economies.
“By bringing together trade finance, compliance and market practitioners, we aim to turn that opportunity into more bankable transactions, stronger regional value chains and increased intra-African trade,” El Maayergi said.
Afreximbank said the event will bring together financial institutions, regulators, policymakers and trade practitioners from Africa and the wider Global Africa community.
The discussions are expected to cover issues related to trade finance, investment, industrialisation and economic integration, while also providing a platform for participants to exchange knowledge and discuss practical financing solutions.
The timing comes as African governments and institutions seek to increase intra-African commerce under AfCFTA, which aims to create a single continental market for goods and services and reduce barriers to cross-border trade.
The second component of the programme, the Afreximbank Compliance Forum 2026, or ACF2026, will focus on the relationship between compliance and trade.
Its theme is “Better Compliance, Better Trade: Leveraging Compliance to Promote African Regulations that Advance Intra-African Economic and Trade Integration.”
Idrissa Diop, compliance director at Afreximbank, said compliance should be viewed as more than a regulatory requirement.
“Compliance must be recognised not simply as a regulatory obligation, but as an essential enabler of trusted, resilient and sustainable trade,” Diop said.
He said the forum would bring together institutions involved in Africa’s financial and trade architecture to discuss ways of aligning compliance standards, managing emerging risks and reducing barriers to intra-African trade and business growth.
Compliance has become an increasingly important consideration for financial institutions involved in international and cross-border transactions because banks must manage regulatory, financial-crime and other risks while facilitating legitimate trade.
Afreximbank has previously organised separate compliance and trade finance programmes as part of its broader capacity-building activities.
Its 2024 annual report said the 2024 Compliance Forum in Dakar brought together compliance experts, regulators and international trade professionals to discuss regulatory requirements and their impact on trade.
The bank has also described its annual trade finance seminar as a flagship programme aimed at strengthening trade finance skills and knowledge across Africa and the diaspora.
The Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, which is partnering with Afreximbank for the 2026 programme, said the events would provide an opportunity to showcase Botswana’s role as a regional trade and investment hub.
Keletsositse Olebile, chief executive officer of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, said Botswana was proud to host the Compliance Forum, Trade Finance Seminar and Factoring Workshop.
He said the programmes would also highlight Botswana’s commitment to economic development and continental cooperation.
The programme will continue on Nov. 19 with a Factoring Workshop focused on factoring and other alternative trade finance solutions.
Factoring allows businesses to obtain financing against eligible receivables and can provide working capital to companies waiting for customers to pay. Afreximbank said the workshop will examine the role of such financing mechanisms in supporting businesses and expanding access to finance.
Afreximbank’s current event information lists separate registration options for the Trade Finance Seminar, Compliance Forum and Factoring Workshop.
The bank’s published information puts the standard rate for the Trade Finance Seminar at $1,500 and the Compliance Forum at $1,000, while the Factoring Workshop is listed at $500. Combined programme options are also available.
For businesses and financial institutions operating across African markets, the event will provide a forum for discussions spanning trade finance, regulatory compliance and alternative financing.
The organisers say the broader objective is to strengthen the financial and regulatory frameworks supporting cross-border commerce as AfCFTA implementation progresses.
Afreximbank is a multilateral financial institution established to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. Its programmes include trade finance, investment and capacity-building initiatives designed to support African economies and businesses.
The Gaborone meetings will therefore combine two areas that are closely connected to the expansion of cross-border commerce: access to finance and the regulatory frameworks governing financial and trade transactions.
The Afreximbank Trade Finance Seminar 2026 and Compliance Forum will run from Nov. 16 to 18, followed by the Factoring Workshop on Nov. 19 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana.
