en.Wedoany.com Reported - The African Trade & Distribution Company (ATDC), a subsidiary of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has announced the expansion of its network of national trade and logistics platforms to Zimbabwe and Malawi, with the new platforms focusing on strengthening regional supply chains, improving market access, and supporting intra-African trade.

In a statement, the bank said the new platforms would be established through joint ventures with local partners, offering services including commodity aggregation, warehousing, logistics, export development, and trade finance to businesses and exporters in both countries.

The Zimbabwe National ATDC is being co-established with CBZ Agro Yield, a subsidiary of CBZ Holdings, while the Malawi National ATDC is being formed in partnership with Press Corporation.

In Zimbabwe, the platform's operations will focus on commodity aggregation, export development, market intelligence, warehousing, logistics, supplier-buyer matching, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises and emerging exporters. Afreximbank stated that the platform is expected to strengthen agricultural and industrial value chains, improve market access, and position Zimbabwe as a competitive export hub.

The Malawi platform will focus on commodity trading, warehousing, exports, strategic imports, structured trade finance, collateral management, cold chain and logistics infrastructure, value-added processing, and trade intelligence. Its objectives target improved logistics efficiency, strengthened manufacturing and commodity value chains, and attracting investment in trade-enabling infrastructure.

Afreximbank noted that these platforms aim to address persistent market fragmentation by consolidating supply, improving access to market intelligence, facilitating logistics and warehousing, supporting trade finance, and connecting African producers with regional and international buyers.

The Zimbabwe and Malawi platforms follow the establishment of ATDC Egypt earlier this year, bringing the number of national ATDC entities to three. The bank plans to establish seven national platforms across Africa by the end of this year, with further expansion planned for 2027.

The bank said the initiative supports the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by creating commercially sustainable national trade platforms to accelerate industrialization and regional trade.

According to Afreximbank's 2026 African Trade Report, African merchandise trade grew by 6.1% to approximately $1.5 trillion, while intra-African trade grew by 5.5% to approximately $213.8 billion. The report also noted that trade finance gaps, infrastructure constraints, and limited value addition remain persistent obstacles to expanding regional trade.

Kanayo Awani, the bank's Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development, said the signing of the Zimbabwe National ATDC and Malawi National ATDC marks another milestone in the bank's strategy to build the trade infrastructure needed to drive Africa's transformation. She stated that these platforms will connect African producers with markets, facilitate trade finance, and promote value addition through collaboration with local organizations.