Business Reporter
CBZ Holdings is set to benefit from a US$500 million Global Credit facility signed between the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Africa Trading and Distribution Company (ATDC), which will provide critical trade-finance capacity for the bank’s agro-industrial subsidiary, CBZ Agro Yield, to scale up commodity trading and distribution across the continent.
The facility agreement, signed in Cairo, will enable ATDC to undertake eligible trading and distribution transactions, with the financing supporting the purchasing and aggregation of African goods, logistics, transportation, warehousing, and distribution costs.
CBZ Agro Yield, a member of CBZ Holdings Ltd, entered a joint venture with ATDC in July this year to establish National ATDC Zimbabwe, a platform focused on commodity aggregation, export development, and market intelligence. The new US$500 million facility is expected to provide the necessary financing to operationalise and expand the Zimbabwean entity’s mandate.
Under the agreement, ATDC will deploy financing towards eligible trade, logistics, and distribution transactions, with repayments anchored on proceeds generated from the sale of goods financed through the facility. The facility is designed to help ATDC develop repeatable trade corridors and expand access to dependable sourcing and distribution networks across African markets.
Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank, said the facility underscores the bank’s commitment to strengthening the trade, logistics, and distribution architecture required to realise the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“By facilitating the efficient distribution of ‘Made-in-Africa’ goods across the continent, the facility will deepen regional value chains, expand market access for African producers, and boost manufactured exports,” she said.
Mr Stewart Makura, Chief Executive Officer of ATDC, said the facility strengthens ATDC’s ability to aggregate supply, mobilise working capital, and move goods efficiently across value chains.
“Together with Afreximbank, we will support stronger supply chains, value addition, import substitution, and intra-African trade,” he said.
The financing is expected to bolster National ATDC Zimbabwe’s operations, which were established to resolve persistent market fragmentation affecting small-scale producers, processors, and emerging exporters by aggregating supply and improving access to market intelligence.
CBZ Agro Yield’s General Manager, Mr Wellington Mutizwa, previously stated that the partnership with ATDC would help aggregate output, support producers with market access and logistics, and create stronger pathways for Zimbabwean products to reach regional and international markets.
The facility will support commercially sustainable trade flows, greater processing of African commodities, and increased regional availability of raw materials, inputs, and value-added products. ATDC plans to operationalise seven national entities across Africa by the end of 2026.
Afreximbank’s 2026 Africa Trade Report notes that Africa’s merchandise trade expanded by 6.1 percent to approximately US$1.5 trillion, while intra-African trade grew by 5.5 percent to about US$213.8 billion, highlighting continuing constraints linked to trade finance gaps and infrastructure deficits.
Source: Afreximbank’s US$500m facility to boost CBZ-backed ATDC Zimbabwe operations – herald
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