By Bassey Udo
Top eight finalists in the first cohort of the pioneering African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Accelerator Programme have emerged.
They include Fincart.io, an operating system for e-commerce small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets; OnePort 365, a digital freight management company that integrates air, ocean, and truck; Timon, a global travel and payments wallet designed to eliminate payment anxiety for African businesses, and Zowasel, an African agritech and finance company transforming agribusiness trade access.
Others are Gebeya, a firm that gives Africa’s service and creative economy its own AI Agent; Fluna, a firm that is building the digital trade infrastructure to unlock Africa’s agricultural sector; Capsa Technology, Africa’s leading alternative finance marketplace, transforming trade, and Daba Finance, Africa’s first unified investment and capital-mobilization platform.
The Bank said the three-month initiative expected to kick off in March 2026 is designed to empower Africa’s most promising startups driving innovation in intra-African trade and industrialization.
A statement by the Bank said the finalists were selected from a highly competitive pool of over 1,600 applications, showcasing the continent’s most promising entrepreneurial talents.
The selection process, the Bank said, included detailed business assessments, interviews, and pitch sessions, overseen by a panel of Afreximbank trade specialists, alongside leading external experts from the venture capital and innovation ecosystem.
The selected finalists embodied Afreximbank’s mission to drive measurable progress in intra-African and global African trade.
Representing innovations in sectors such as agriculture, e-commerce, market access, financial technology solutions, supply chain enhancement and manufacturing, the Bank said these startups were poised to address critical trade challenges affecting both continental and diaspora markets, while also advancing intra-African trade and industrialisation.
“The geographic diversity of applications, from across Africa, the diaspora, and CARICOM, demonstrates the programme’s broad reach and stands as a testament to Afreximbank’s commitment to integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” the Bank said.
By prioritising solutions from Seed to Series A – maturity and applying a robust three-stage evaluation that combines expert insight, practical business assessment, and strategic innovation criteria, the Bank said the programme aims at not only to accelerate start-ups growth, but also to foster a sustainable ecosystem for trade-led development across Africa.
Afreximbank Accelerator Programme will provide finalists with a comprehensive package of support, including: Equity Investment, through equity financing- subject to selection criteria of up to $250,000 through Afreximbank’s impact equity investment arm, Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), enabling rapid scale-up and operational growth.
Also, mentorship, through access to seasoned experts as well as industry leaders to refine business strategies and accelerate market entry.
These include leading investors, trade specialists, and industry thought leaders committed to fostering Africa’s economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The other support incentive would be through market access, by connection to Afreximbank’s pan-African trade ecosystem, including trade facilitation programmes, regulatory pathways as well as exclusive opportunities to leverage Afreximbank’s extensive network of government stakeholders, private sector players, and multilateral partners to secure partnerships and funding.
Over the course of the programme, the statement said, finalists would engage in virtual learning modules, hands-on workshops, and in-person sessions hosted across regional hubs, such as Abuja, Nairobi and Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo.
“This immersive experience will culminate in a high-profile ‘Demo Day’, where startups will showcase their innovative solutions to an influential audience of global investors, policymakers, and industry champions,” the Bank said.
Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank, Haytham Elmaayergi, said: “The Afreximbank Accelerator Programme reflects our belief in the power of innovation to transform intra-African trade and also underscores the important role that Global Africa’s innovation plays in realising the promise of the AfCFTA.
“This inaugural cohort represents the future of African enterprise, and we are proud to invest in them from vision to scale to nurture solutions needed to unlock trade across Africa, the diaspora, and the Caribbean.”
The Afreximbank Accelerator Programme exemplifies the Bank’s commitment to fostering homegrown solutions that address critical trade challenges and unlock Africa’s economic potential under the AfCFTA framework.
