The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched the African Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC), a new entity aimed at boosting large-scale trade in raw materials, minerals, and value-added products across Africa.
Established through the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), ATDC is a collaboration involving Afreximbank, Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), Equitane DMCC, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. Afreximbank has pledged $1 billion in funding to support ATDC’s operations, which will focus on aggregating goods, improving logistics and distribution networks, and financing subsidiaries.
The launch took place at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers, Algeria, and was officiated by Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah, in the presence of Algeria’s Acting Prime Minister, Sifi Ghrieb, along with ministers and officials from African and Caribbean nations.
As part of the unveiling, ATDC introduced its flagship subsidiary, ATDC Minerals (ATMIN), which will focus on trading and financing minerals and hydrocarbons. Deals worth about $3 billion were announced, including oil lifting arrangements with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Roxzen Nigeria Limited.
ATDC also signed agreements with firms across the continent covering logistics, minerals, and agricultural produce. Partnerships include collaborations with Arise IIP to supply feedstock to special economic zones, joint ventures with CBZ Holdings and Nigeria Commodity Exchange to establish national ATDCs in Zimbabwe and Nigeria, and co-investment plans with BSMART Technology Limited for digitally integrated logistics hubs.
According to Afreximbank, the new platform is designed to reduce Africa’s dependence on raw commodity exports, strengthen regional value chains, and expand intra-African trade by encouraging processing, value addition, and effective distribution.
IATF2025, co-convened by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission, and the AfCFTA Secretariat, ends today in Algiers.
