In 2018, the Afrca Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) board took a bold decision to establish trade centres in several commercial capitals across Africa and the Carribean, to be dubbed, the Afreximbank – African Trade Centres (“AATCs”).
The decision was a direct response to the lack of trade and market information as well as limited trade facilitation services in Africa.
The AATCs are landmark business complexes and hubs that will house Afreximbank’s trade capabilities in a network of iconic locations – giving stakeholders access to integrated trade services, critical data, as well as opportunities to network and form partnerships.
These trade hubs are part of the bank’s efforts to
bridge the trade information gap in Africa and improve the much needed intra-African trade.
AATCs will function to provide a suite of trade services, trade finance and business facilities, to bridge the gap in trade and market information, in order to promote intra- and extra African trade, catalyse value addition and export manufacturing and contribute towards the positive econimic transformation of the African continent.
The centre’s products and services therefore range from trade information, facilitation and capacity building services.
With nine planned locations, the AATC network will connect buyers, sellers, suppliers, service providers, enterprises, government, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, economic development organisations, and the general African and global trade and investment community.
Some of those centres will be owned by Afreximbank, while others will be supported through a franchise-scheme.
The bank is expected to open the second AATC after Abuja in Harare. AATC, Kampala will open in 2026, while in a few months, the foundation for AATC Cairo, AATC Yaoundé and others will be laid.
Together they will provide a step-change in facilitating local, regional, and global market/business opportunities to help transform Africa’s trade.
About the Abuja AATC
The iconic Abuja trade centre formally opened on Thursday is the first of several AATCs to be built and launched by Afreximbank across Africa. It is a business complex that houses the bank’s regional office, a conference facility, a technology and SME incubator hub, a Digital Trade Gateway, a business hotel, and a trade and exhibition centre. It will, among others, provide office spaces for Nigerian, African and foreign financial and policy organisations.
The Abuja AATC, being the inaugural one, drew design inspiration from the concept of a bazaar. A bazaar signifies a permanently enclosed marketplace or street where goods and services are exchanged.
Shopping at bazaars remains a central and vibrant feature of daily life in many African cities, often considered the heartbeat of urban spaces. Additional inspiration came from the notions of exchange and dynamism, echoing the spirit of African trade.
The Abuja AATC design captures the energy, vitality, movement and flows characteristic of African markets.
The internal trading street in the building, with a glass roof, retail kiosks and views from occupants above, pays homage to the significance of small traders in the continent’s economy and serves as the central organizing element of the building.
Located on the 4th Avenue of the city centre, the building overlooks Independence Avenue and with a view towards the iconic Millennium Tower, Aso Rock, the National Assembly, Supreme Court and the Presidential Villa, the Nigeria State head offices and several banking and commercial entities.
The site enjoys great road accessibility, given its positioning along prominent road networks such as the Independence Way to the North and Ralph Shodeinde Street to the South; both leading to major nodes in Abuja such as the CMD, Asokoro and Maitama.
Designed to reflect the Afreximbank logo, the building features green and yellow aluminium cladding and steel accents with horizontal trims and channels highlighted in yellow.
Abuja AATC, like the other upcoming centres is planned to partner Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Development Finance Institutios (DFIs), governments, business schools, research institutions, financial institutions, real estate developers, trade associations, chambers of commerce, Africa world trade centres, NGOs, amongst others.
Read also: Afreximbank launches $120m trade centre in Abuja to spur regional integration
Building attributes
The construction of the AATC in Abuja commenced in November 2021 on a prime 5,856 square metres of land in the central business district of Abuja, Nigeria. But its gross built area is 31,352 square meters.
It comprises two modern, elegant, interconnected nine-storey towers, one for offices and the other for the hotel.
The two towers are connected by a central volume atrium, and the twin tower design allows for the separation of use between hotel accommodation and commercial office space. The ninth-floor hotel tower houses 148 guest rooms that feature 3 room types, while two basement floors offer circa 280 parking bays.
The building, BusinessDay understands is set to achieve gold (and potentially platinum) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), making it one of the few certified buildings in Nigeria and West Africa and the first with Platinum Certification once finalised.
Offering
The facility provides a comprehensive range of services, including a large conference centre, a trade and exhibition centre, a Digital Trade Gateway, a four-star ONOMO Hotel, office spaces for local and foreign financial and policy organisations, a gym, and a wellness centre-al under one roof for maximum convenience and efficiency. It also includes a tech
and SME incubation centre.
The Centre is also expected to provide access to Afreximbank’s Trade Intelligence Solutions (TRIN), an integrated trade intelligence offering. TRIN is designed to support clients looking to enter new markets in Africa or expand into the continent by providing comprehensive African trade and investment information.
Project development team
The construction of the $120 Million project commenced in November 2021, lasting over a period of 41 months. Afreximbank authorities say the project was completed below budget, on time, desired quality and no lost time incidences.
The main Contractor was Cappa & D’alberto Nigeria, together with their MEP subcontractor, Nairda; furniture and fittings subcontractor, Five Keys; the Kitchen subcontractor, France Kitchen; and the Art Curator, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago. The multifaceted global design was developed by SVA International SA with contributions from several African architects.
Impact
The Abuja AATC is primed to position Abuja, and Nigeria as the trade and investment “GATEWAY TO AFRICA”.
It will provide an integrated one-stop-shop for trade information, trade services, trade finance and other trade facilitation services to Nigerian and African businesses.
The centre will bring together stakeholders from Nigeria, across Africa, and around the world to form a dynamic trade and investment ecosystem—creating a powerful network that will be harnessed to unlock business opportunities in Nigeria, the wider region, the Caribbean, and global markets.
It will serve as a link between Nigerian, regional, rest of Africa, Caribbean and global buyers,sellers, suppliers, service providers, small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), governments, chambers ofcommerce, financial institutions, economic development organizations and the general trade and investmentcommunity.
The trade complex will host the Afreximbank regional office and other economic development and trade and investment promoting entities and events.
The Abuja AATC is expected to make a significant impact on the city’s economy and the broader Nigerian business landscape, playing a key role in transforming trade across Nigeria, the region, and the continent—and helping to shape the future of Africa’s economic integration.
Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank described it as a unique offering. It will be connected to all other AATCs across Africa, in Barbados and at Afreximbank Africa Global Gateway in New York, digitally.
“That would make it possible for Afreximbank to procure a top global trainer to train exporters, SMEs, tech experts, etcetera, simultaneously.”
It will also make it possible for African and Caribbean businesses to view exhibitions ongoing in other trade centres. The hub will also enable any Nigerian business which wants to link up with other businesses in other parts of Africa, and the Caribbean to do so.
“This facility, therefore, provides a platform for turbocharging engagements of Nigerian businesses in the AfCFTA,” Oramah stated.
President Bola Tinubu said AATC is a testament to the power of collaboration, resilience, and forward-thinking leadership.
“It is more than a physical structure; it is a beacon of innovation, a hub for entrepreneurship, and a catalyst for sustainable development,” the president stated.
“This centre will serve as a critical platform for trade facilitation, capacity building, and investment in Africa’s economic transformation.”
