Africa: Afreximbank and ZEP-RE Strengthen Trade Insurance and Risk Management Expertise
Afreximbank and reinsurance company ZEP-RE have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding in Nairobi to strengthen professional and institutional expertise in trade finance, insurance, reinsurance, risk management and trade facilitation.
A Partnership Focused on Cross-Border Trade Expertise
The agreement brings together the Afreximbank Academy (AFRACAD) and ZEP-RE Academy. The two institutions will develop joint training, research and knowledge-sharing programmes for professionals, financial institutions and other stakeholders involved in African trade.
The programme includes online training, practical tools, African case studies, masterclasses and certification programmes. Training focused on risk management, reinsurance, trade guarantees, financial infrastructure and trade facilitation is also planned.
The two partners also intend to conduct joint studies, webinars and professional forums bringing together regulators, private-sector stakeholders, development partners and financial institutions to address emerging risks affecting African trade.
Direct Implications for Cargo Flows
For trade and logistics operators, the management of guarantees and risks plays a key role in the movement of goods across multiple jurisdictions. Transit guarantee mechanisms can help limit the amounts tied up in national guarantees and facilitate the movement of goods across borders.
This dimension is already part of the cooperation between Afreximbank and ZEP-RE through the Trans-Africa Bond Alliance (TABA), launched in 2025. The initiative aims to strengthen insurance capacity and facilitate cross-border trade as well as the movement of goods and investment across Africa.
Since beginning operations in June 2025, TABA has supported approximately $185 million in guarantees in 2025 and $280 million in the first quarter of 2026, covering risks from 24 cedants in five countries.
A Link with Transit Guarantee Mechanisms
TABA also supports Afreximbank’s African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme (AACTGS) and the trade facilitation objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The AACTGS has a total guarantee capacity of $1 billion, including a $300 million facility implemented with ZEP-RE in the COMESA region. The mechanism is designed in particular to reduce reliance on multiple national transit guarantees, free up working capital and improve the predictability of cross-border trade operations.
Why It Matters for African Supply Chains
The new agreement therefore goes beyond training. It also aims to strengthen the technical expertise required to operate the financing, insurance and guarantee mechanisms that support cargo flows.
For companies operating along African corridors, key issues to monitor will include access to specialised expertise, the wider use of transit guarantee mechanisms and their ability to reduce financial and operational constraints associated with cross-border trade.
The partnership between Afreximbank and ZEP-RE is thus expected to build on existing trade facilitation mechanisms, while adding a stronger focus on skills development and risk management.
