Africa could generate $133 billion annually by closing $80 billion trade finance gap—GHIB CEO

Dean Adansi, CEO of Ghana International Bank (GHIB), highlighted at the GHIB CONVERGE 2025 conference in London that Africa could potentially generate an additional $133 billion annually by closing the $80 billion trade finance gap. Adansi emphasized the importance of addressing this gap to shift the continent's commodity trade from raw exports to processed products.

He noted that the lack of affordable capital, high interest rates, and limited infrastructure have hindered many African exporters from securing necessary financing for processing. Adansi cited a missed opportunity where a European supplier fulfilled a $10 million onion supply contract for Senegal, despite West Africa having enough raw output.

Research presented at the conference suggested that raising trade finance by 25% could add $50 billion in extra annual revenue and create a million industrial jobs. GHIB has facilitated $14 billion in trade flows across Africa in the past five years by partnering with local financial institutions to make international lending more attractive.