The African Export-Import Bank showcased its Africa Trade Gateway (ATG) platform at a regional customs summit in Abuja, Nigeria, part of efforts to digitize and accelerate trade across the continent.
Representing Afreximbank at the Customs PACT, Emeka Onyia, director of digital banking (innovation), delivered a forward-looking presentation on the ATG’s role in digitizing and accelerating African trade.
He outlined how the platform is creating a unified digital trade corridor that integrates logistics, documentation, cross-border payments, due diligence, market intelligence and cargo movement on a single, interoperable system.
Onyia emphasized the platform’s alignment with customs authorities and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), highlighting its potential to reduce trade delays, eliminate inefficiencies and improve transparency.
According to Onyia, the ATG already connects more than 10,000 traders, over 100 banks and 35 countries. It leverages artificial intelligence-driven workflows to facilitate faster and more efficient trade in key sectors including agriculture, commodities and chemicals.
He also showcased the ATG’s embedded digital tools, including the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) for instant cross-border payments, MANSA for due diligence, ATG Connect for buyer-seller matching, and ATEX for online marketplace transactions. These tools position ATG as a one-stop platform for customs, clearing agents, freight operators and businesses.
In addition to his presentation, Onyia held bilateral meetings with customs administrations, freight associations, Afreximbank teams and the AfCFTA Secretariat. Discussions focused on onboarding new users, exploring system integration and co-developing a continental transit management platform for harmonized and traceable goods movement.
The event gathered more than 50 major stakeholders and generated strong interest in deploying ATG to support customs automation and border modernization.
Participants acknowledged the platform’s potential to streamline documentation processes and reduce delays at border points.
