African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has broken ground for its African Trade Centre (AATC) in Egypt’s New Capital, a landmark development that will also serve as the Bank’s new global headquarters and anchor its expanding continental trade infrastructure.
The project, located in the Diplomatic District about 45 kilometres east of Cairo, is the first African Trade Centre in North Africa and is expected to position Egypt as a major hub for trade intelligence, investment and intra-African commerce. The ceremony marked a major step in Afreximbank’s strategy to deepen economic integration and strengthen trade facilitation across the continent.
Speaking at the event, Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, said: “The establishment of the Afreximbank African Trade Centre (AATC) in Egypt’s New Capital reflects Egypt’s important role in driving continental economic integration and trade facilitation.
“As the host country of Afreximbank’s global headquarter, Egypt is proud to deepen this collaboration through a landmark facility that will serve as a hub for trade intelligence, capacity building, innovation, and continental connectivity.”
Afreximbank President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, George Elombi, thanked the Egyptian government for its longstanding support, noting that Egypt has hosted the Bank’s global headquarters since its establishment in 1993 and remains its largest sovereign shareholder through the Central Bank of Egypt.
“This Afreximbank African Trade Centre in the New Capital is meant not simply to accommodate the expansion of the Bank, but provide a concrete solution designed to address the lack of trade and investment information among African businesses; a challenge that has confounded the growth of intra-African trade and investment for nearly seven decades,” Dr Elombi said.
Describing the relationship between Afreximbank and Egypt as “truly symbiotic,” he said the Bank has disbursed US$41 billion into the Egyptian economy, supporting investment in sectors including energy, telecommunications, construction and manufacturing, while strengthening trade and investment links between Egypt and the rest of Africa. “We have helped Egyptian entities capitalise on growing investment opportunities across Africa, helping them secure and execute projects in several countries,” he added.
The Cairo AATC will house technology and SME incubation centres and a digital African trade gateway providing services such as trade information, customer due diligence and payments. It forms part of Afreximbank’s wider plan to establish a network of African Trade Centres in key commercial hubs across Africa and the Caribbean to support trade information, market intelligence, financing and collaboration.
Occupying a 48,888-square-metre site, the development will comprise two basement levels and six floors, with a total gross built-up area of 156,147 square metres. It will provide more than 57,000 square metres of office space for Afreximbank’s expanding workforce, alongside additional offices for African and international trade and finance institutions and selected diplomatic missions.
The complex will include a trade information centre, a library and knowledge hub, an innovation and SME incubation centre, a business centre, a 110-room aparthotel, a 750-seat conference centre, an exhibition hall, retail and dining outlets and a 1,200-bay parking facility. Its design features interconnected blocks arranged around landscaped internal streets and collaborative spaces aimed at supporting innovation, sustainability and staff wellbeing.
Designed to achieve Gold-level LEED certification or higher, the facility will incorporate energy-efficient systems, solar power, water-saving technologies and climate-responsive architecture, positioning it among Africa’s most environmentally advanced institutional developments.
Hassan Allam Construction has been appointed as the main contractor under a US$249.5 million contract, with architectural design and supervision led by EHAF Consulting Engineers. The project is expected to generate significant employment during construction and operations, with completion scheduled for early 2029.
The Cairo groundbreaking follows the launch of the Afreximbank African Trade Centre in Abuja in April 2025 and the Barbados groundbreaking in March 2025. Similar developments are underway in Harare and Kampala, as Afreximbank advances its vision of a continental network of trade hubs connecting Africa to global markets.
