Yemisi Izuora
Afreximbank has entered into strong partnership with IBDL Learning Group to expand professional training and certification programs aimed at building the skills needed to support intra-African trade, industrialization and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The agreement, signed in Cairo will be delivered through the Afreximbank Academy (AFRACAD), the Bank’s learning and capacity-building platform.
The partnership will develop specialized certification programs in intra-African trade, industrialization and trade intelligence, alongside executive boot camps covering supply chain management, e-commerce and cross-border trade.
It will also expand executive education for African diplomats and public officials while introducing economic and trade masterclasses for non-African diplomats working with the continent. Selected IBDL programs will be integrated into AFRACAD’s digital learning platform to broaden access across Africa.
According to Afreximbank, the initiative is designed to equip professionals, entrepreneurs, businesses and public institutions with the technical capabilities required to facilitate regional trade, strengthen industrial competitiveness and take advantage of opportunities created by the AfCFTA.
The partnership comes as African countries move from negotiating the AfCFTA to implementing it. While the agreement establishes a single market spanning 54 countries and more than 1.4 billion people, businesses and public institutions still face significant capacity gaps in customs procedures, trade finance, logistics, standard compliance, supply chain management and cross-border regulations. Growing digital trade and e-commerce are also increasing demand for specialized skills as governments implement the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade and businesses expand across regional markets.
By investing in professional certification and executive education, Afreximbank is seeking to complement its financing activities with the human capital needed to make regional integration more effective. The initiative supports the Bank’s broader strategy of helping African firms compete more successfully in regional and global markets by strengthening the knowledge base required to navigate increasingly complex value chains and trade rules.
The program also reflects a wider shift in Africa’s industrialization agenda toward workforce development. Agenda 2063 identifies skills development as central to structural transformation, while the African Development Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy highlights workforce capabilities as critical to improving productivity and creating higher-value employment.
The World Bank has likewise argued that stronger management, technical and digital skills will be essential as African economies diversify into manufacturing, services and technology. Alongside investments in trade finance, payment systems such as PAPSS and industrial infrastructure, Afreximbank is increasingly positioning capacity building as a key pillar of AfCFTA implementation.