‘We must buy made-in-Africa products’, says Access Bank CEO

Roosevelt Ogbonna, managing director/CEO of Access Bank, has stressed the need for Africans to patronise locally-made products and invest in the continent.

Ogbonna spoke on Wednesday at the inaugural Africa Trade Conference hosted by Access Bank in Cape Town, South Africa.

The event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and trade experts to drive solutions for accelerating intra-African trade and unlocking the continent’s economic potential.

The Access Bank boss emphasised the urgent need for financial sector collaboration to facilitate seamless access to capital and foster a business environment where African enterprises can scale and compete globally.

“We must invest in the initiatives that ensure that we can bring businesses together, forge trust, and create the connections necessary for trade. In doing so, we must stamp out the narrative that ‘Made in Africa’ is inferior to any product made anywhere else in the world. We must buy Africa, be proud to wear Africa, and invest in Africa because that is what the continent needs to leap forward into the next generation,” Ogbonna was quoted as saying in a statement.

Wamkele K. Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, emphasised the urgency of fully implementing the trade agreement to unlock its immense benefits.

“The AfCFTA is not just a trade agreement; it is an instrument for Africa’s industrialisation and economic sovereignty. It is a tool that will enable us to break down historic trade barriers and build an Africa that is self-sufficient, competitive, and prosperous. But for this to happen, we must commit to operationalising the agreement fully, ensuring that businesses, particularly SMEs and women-led enterprises, have access to the information, capital, and platforms they need to thrive,” Mene said.

Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Afreximbank, emphasised the importance of financing mechanisms that support African businesses in their expansion across borders. She reaffirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to championing trade finance solutions and infrastructure investments that will unlock Africa’s trade potential.

“At Afreximbank, we understand that trade finance is the lifeblood of economic development. Without it, businesses cannot scale, industries cannot innovate, and Africa cannot fully realise its trade potential. This is why we have developed instruments such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System to facilitate seamless transactions across borders, reducing reliance on foreign currencies and strengthening intra-African trade,” Awani said.