The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched the African Trade and Distribution Company (ATDC) to boost large-scale intra-African trade in raw materials, minerals, and value-added products.
The bank established ATDC through its Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA) in partnership with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), Equitane DMCC, and the AfCFTA Secretariat. Afreximbank has pledged $1 billion to finance the new entity’s operations, logistics, and subsidiaries.
The launch took place at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2025 in Algiers, Algeria, with Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah officiating alongside Algeria’s acting Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb and other African and Caribbean leaders.
Oramah said the initiative would help Africa reclaim control over its resources. “Through ATDC and ATMIN, we aim to close the loop and take back control of how our commodities and minerals are produced and traded across value chains by integrating them in local economies,” he stated.
ATDC’s flagship subsidiary, ATDC Minerals (ATMIN), was also unveiled to focus on mineral and hydrocarbon trade and financing.
The company has signed multiple agreements, including feedstock supply deals with Arise IIP, a co-investment partnership with BSMART Technology to develop digital logistics hubs, and trade collaborations with Export Trading Group, KK Kingdom Nigeria, and Sunbeth Global Concepts.
ATDC further reached joint venture terms with CBZ Holdings and the Nigeria Commodity Exchange to establish national ATDCs in Zimbabwe and Nigeria. ATMIN also announced transactions worth $3 billion, including oil lifting arrangements with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Roxzen Nigeria Limited.
