The African Export-Import Bank has opened registration for its 2026 Certificate of Trade Finance in Africa (COTFIA), a move aimed at deepening the continent’s pool of skilled professionals driving cross-border trade and investment.
The programme, delivered through the Bank’s training arm Afreximbank Academy, is positioning itself as a strategic pipeline for talent in a sector widely seen as critical to unlocking Africa’s commercial potential. Registration will remain open until 31 May 2026.
Targeting banking professionals and trade practitioners, the course is designed to sharpen expertise in structuring, financing and managing international trade deals. It comes at a time when implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area is accelerating demand for sophisticated financial skills to support intra-African commerce.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Factors Chain International, American University in Cairo and Quarter Bank, combining academic depth with industry insight. Participants will undertake a blended learning format that includes virtual instruction, in-person sessions in New Cairo, and self-paced modules.
Afreximbank says the initiative is part of a broader strategy to close persistent knowledge gaps that have historically constrained trade finance flows across the continent. Limited expertise has often been cited as a barrier to structuring complex transactions and mitigating risk, particularly for small and mid-sized enterprises.
Stephen Kauma, the bank’s Managing Director for Human Resources, said the course is intended to nurture a new generation of professionals capable of advancing Africa’s trade agenda and improving its competitiveness globally. To widen access, AFRACAD will offer a 50 percent tuition scholarship to the first seven applicants.
Since its launch in 2016, the programme has trained more than 150 professionals across Africa. As trade volumes and regional integration efforts gather pace, Afreximbank is betting that investing in human capital will be just as critical as financing deals in shaping the continent’s economic future.