Poor Infrastructure and Information Gaps Stifle African Trade, Afrixembank

6 June 2025

By Andile Vundla

African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) has highlighted that underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of information exchange among African nations are acting as major roadblocks to the continent’s economic progress.

This came during a stakeholder engagement on the upcoming Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025), that was held yesterday in Bulawayo.

Speaking during the event, Afreximbank’s Client Relations Manager for the Southern region, Dr. Stanley Sachikonye expressed concern over Africa’s minimal contribution to global trade, despite holding over 30% of the world’s natural resources. He noted that the continent currently accounts for a mere 2.3% of global trade, with more than 80% of its exports being raw materials.

He explained that the reason for this, is the historical design. “The masters of yesteryears, when they designed logistics around the continent, it was meant to take goods out of the continent and not trade amongst ourselves,” he stated. He pointed out the ironic reality that while a “Cape to Cairo dream was achieved,” railway networks often have different diameters, preventing seamless cross-border movement.

Beyond physical infrastructure, Dr. Sachikonye highlighted a crucial deficiency in information sharing, observing that trade data is not readily exchanged between countries. He also offered a unique perspective,the language barrier, based on his five years in Mozambique, where he witnessed firsthand how linguistic differences significantly impede trade relations.

Dr. Sachikonye stressed that Africa possesses abundant natural and financial resources, yet it fails to leverage them internally due to these fundamental barriers.