As global trade dynamics shift and economic gravity increasingly tilts toward the Global South, Africa stands at a pivotal moment. Home to 1.4 billion people and abundant in natural resources, the continent still contributes less than 3% of global trade and GDP, despite comprising 17% of the world’s population. This mismatch underscores the urgency of transforming Africa’s trade landscape. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched on January 1, 2021, represents a historic opportunity to unify markets and boost intra-African commerce from today's 16% to levels exceeding 50%, similar to the EU and Asia.

“Yet realizing this promise demands more than ambition or trade agreements. It requires reimagining and reconstructing the arteries of African commerce, its trade corridors. More than railways, roads, and ports, these corridors must become integrated ecosystems supporting industrialization, digital trade, green growth, and resilience against global shocks” adds Sheetal Kumar, Head of Client Coverage, Corporate and Institutional Banking.

The legacy challenge: colonial corridors in a modern age

Africa’s existing trade corridors, such as the Abidjan–Lagos Coastal Corridor, the Northern Corridor from Mombasa, and the Central Corridor from Dar es Salaam, were built to extract resources, not to foster regional integration. As a result, intra-African trade remains stubbornly low. Trade costs are among the highest in the world, up to 283% of the value of goods, according to the World Bank, due to poor infrastructure, border inefficiencies, and misaligned regulations.

Whereas early momentum has been promising, with intra-African trade reaching USD 208 billion in 2024 (a 7.7% increase year-on-year), only a fraction stays within the continent. Compared to over 60% in Asia and 70% in the EU, Africa’s internal trade flows highlight a massive opportunity gap.

Closing this gap demands reengineering corridors for speed, resilience, and reliability. For example, freight-demand projections from the UN Economic Commission for Africa forecast a 28% increase in intra-African freight volumes by 2030, requiring upgrades to more than 60,000 km of critical road links.

Strategic corridors in a fragmented world

The concept of geoeconomic fragmentation—countries restructuring trade around political blocs—poses new risks for Africa. Up to half of Africa’s external trade is vulnerable under such scenarios, potentially reducing GDP by 4% over a decade. Political feuds and regional disputes further undermine the AfCFTA’s integration goals.

Africa’s response must be bold yet pragmatic:

• Connector Strategy: Corridors should serve as bridges between geopolitical blocs—like Vietnam or Mexico in global supply chains. Banks can help structure corridors as transit hubs that bridge Eastern and Western trade blocs, providing thermal-buffer zones against geopolitical shocks.
• Corridor Clusters: Align regional corridors with diverse investor pools to hedge against geopolitical shocks. Countries aligned with one bloc can still integrate regionally—Banks’ financing structures can then insulate such corridors with diversified investor pools across blocs.
• Risk Mitigation: Deploy political risk insurance, trade guarantees, and alternative route financing to navigate disruptions.

Financial institutions such as Bank One are critical in structuring such corridor models, insulating against global uncertainties while facilitating inclusive regional growth.

From trade agreements to trade highways

The AfCFTA aims to eliminate tariffs on 97% of goods and boost intra-African trade by over 100% by 2035. But translating this potential into real-world outcomes requires functioning corridors. Ports like Berbera in Somaliland, where DP World has invested USD 442 million, show what’s possible when infrastructure, policy, and capital align. Similarly, the Maputo Container Terminal’s USD 165 million expansion will double its capacity and position it as a key Southern Africa–Gulf trade node.

These are more than projects; they are blueprints. Corridor development must integrate:

• Multimodal Transport: Seamless interlinking of rail, road, air, and ports.
• Industrial Clusters: Anchoring corridors to zones of manufacturing, agribusiness, or services.
• Digital Platforms: Smart logistics, e-customs, blockchain, and IoT for real-time visibility.
• Green Infrastructure: Electric transport, resilient materials, and carbon-linked financing.

For example, the Lobito Corridor railway and the Tanzania–Zambia line highlight multimodal possibilities. When paired with inland logistics hubs, dry ports, and Special Economic Zones (SEZs), corridors evolve into engines of regional value creation.

Digitalization: enabling real-time trade

Digital transformation is the nervous system of Africa’s future trade. Initiatives linking customs, payment, and logistics systems can eliminate bottlenecks and improve compliance. Fintech collaborations between African banks and Gulf-based tech firms have already produced pilots in real-time shipment tracking, smart customs clearance, and blockchain authentication.

Mauritius, Africa’s rising digital and financial hub, is leading on this front. Banks are at different stages of deploying:

• Cross-border digital trade finance platforms
• SME-focused digital banking packages
• Seamless payment systems tailored for fragmented regional markets

By scaling up these tools, African nations can unlock the full value of AfCFTA and empower traders, especially small businesses, to participate in cross-border commerce with confidence.

Green corridors: sustainability and resilience

With climate change increasingly disrupting transport, whether through floods in West Africa or heat-induced pavement failures in the East, corridor design must evolve. Africa cannot afford infrastructure that collapses under climate pressure.

Green trade corridors are not a luxury, they are essential. This means:

• Electric vehicle and freight systems
• Solar-powered logistics centers
• Flood-resistant bridges and climate-resilient roads
• Green bonds and blended climate finance

Banks like Bank One are mobilizing ESG-aligned financing, green bonds, and climate-friendly loan structures to support corridor projects that are future-ready and emissions-resilient. For investors, these green corridors also de-risk returns by aligning with global sustainability mandates.

Middle East–Africa Trade: A rising nexus

The Middle East is emerging as a vital strategic and financial partner. From DP World to Gulf sovereign-wealth funds, the region is channeling billions into African ports, renewable energy, and logistics infrastructure.

Between 2019 and 2023, Emirati entities committed USD 110 billion to African projects—USD 72 billion of which went to renewables. DP World alone plans to invest USD 3 billion more in African trade infrastructure by 2029.

Financial institutions with a regional reach are strategically positioned to serve this axis, offering:

• Sharia-compliant financial products
• Correspondent banking across MEA corridors
• Multi-currency trade finance solutions tailored for Gulf investors

In our experience, Mauritius’s regulatory regime, double-taxation treaties, and strategic geographic location positions banks such as Bank One as a trusted platform for cross-border investment flows between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. We further leverage our shareholders’ footprint across Africa, Asia and the Middle East to gain critical market knowledge, investors access and convening power.

Financing the dream: innovation over aid

Traditional public-sector financing won’t be enough. Mobilizing capital requires:

• Blended finance models combining development funds, private equity, and ECAs.
• Syndicated loans led by regional banks and development finance institutions (DFIs).
• Outcome-linked pricing, where interest rates reflect performance on climate or logistics benchmarks.
• Public–private partnerships with clear governance and transparent risk-sharing.

Context-specific solutions and understanding of the local terrain is key. For Bank One we draw great benefits from being backed by strong local shareholders, East Africa’s I&M Group and Mauritius’s CIEL Group, both of whom have been pivotal in shaping our robust track record in structuring corridor investments across the continent. Our unique combination of Sub-Saharan expertise and international finance capabilities enables us to design bankable, and scalable solutions for corridor development.

The human dividend: policy, SMEs, and youth

Infrastructure without people-centric development is hollow. The true test of corridor success lies in how it transforms lives.

• Policy Harmonization: Regulatory alignment is critical guided by the common interests of the people which should transcend political interest. AfCFTA rules must work uniformly across corridor countries for the principal benefit of the African traders among other actors.
• SME Empowerment: Trade must include informal traders, women-led businesses, and youth entrepreneurs. We must ensure that Africa’s factories, mines, farms and service hubs can truly access markets from Cairo to Cape Town, and from Lagos to the Gulf.
• Workforce Development: Corridors should generate jobs not just in construction but in logistics, fintech, agribusiness, and services.

Every one-point gain in corridor efficiency represents millions in GDP and tens of thousands of jobs. From Addis Ababa to Accra, from Port Louis to Port Harcourt, from Nairobi to Nouakchott, Dar es Salaam to Dakar, from Cape to Cairo to Casablanca, from Luanda to Lagos, Mombasa to Maputo, from Gaborone to Giza to the Gulf and beyond… efficient corridors can be lifelines—reducing emigration, boosting income, and expanding opportunity. This resonates with our core mission and purpose at Bank One: Empowering Your Prosperity.

From fragmentation to fusion, from pathways to prosperity

Africa’s trade corridors must not fall victim to a fragmented world order; they must rise above it. By building flexible, digitized, green, and strategically aligned corridors, and financing them through innovative, inclusive models; Africa can unlock a new era of trade-led growth.

Corridors are no longer just about transport; they are about transformation. With Banks like Bank One as financial architects, Mauritius as a bridge, and AfCFTA as the blueprint, Africa has all the ingredients to reimagine its future. Let us move, not just goods, but ideas, investment, and hope, along the pathways to shared prosperity.