Trade between African countries is forecast to grow about 10 percent in 2026 to reach $230 billion, up from $210 billion last year, according to an African Export-Import Bank report covered by BusinessDay and Ecofin Agency. The AfCFTA Secretariat itself has floated a still higher figure of $250 billion, per Daily Trust.
Behind the acceleration: the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System is cutting foreign-exchange costs on cross-border transactions by an estimated 20 to 30 percent, non-tariff barriers are being dismantled along key corridors, and a digital trade protocol has been adopted. Manufacturing and agri-food products are expected to make up 48 to 50 percent of intra-African flows this year, up from 46 percent, a meaningful shift away from raw commodities.
Intra-African trade is expected to account for around 16 percent of the continent’s total trade in 2026, against a recent average of 15 percent, a small number with large room to grow.
What it means for shippers
For Nigerian exporters, the continent is becoming a nearer, cheaper market: payment in local currencies, fewer border frictions and growing demand for manufactured and processed goods rather than raw output. The exporters who benefit first will be the ones whose documentation, certificates of origin included, is ready when the opportunity is. That preparation is precisely what our export desk does.
Sources: BusinessDay · Ecofin Agency · Daily Trust
