This report is the third in the “Trade Finance in Africa” research series. It uses a standardized survey of commercial banks to provide a comprehensive study of the trade finance landscape in Africa for the nine years leading up to 2019.

The aim is to provide data that set a benchmark for the trade finance landscape in Africa prior to the Covid-19 crisis, and aid policy makers’ support of the trade finance industry during and after the pandemic. Besides uncovering new challenges based on trend analyses of the data, particularly those related to new regulations, it also corroborates some previous findings.

The report also provides insights into the important role played by development finance institutions (DFIs) in supporting trade finance across Africa, and how that impacts banks’ ability to intermediate African trade.

Report by the AfDB