Afreximbank Drives SAATM Growth Through Aviation Finance

By Hannah Yemisi

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), led by Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade & Export Development, recently participated in the inaugural African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026 in Lomé, Togo, alongside policymakers, regulators, development finance institutions and industry leaders to accelerate implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). The delegation included Gainmore Zanamwe, Director, Trade Facilitation & Investment Promotion; Helen Brume, Director, Project and Asset-Based Finance; Nene Addo, Senior Manager, Project and Asset-Based Finance; and Chisom Ozoemena-Ezeaku, Assistant Manager, Trade Facilitation & Investment Promotion. During the convention, Afreximbank showcased the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the Global Africa Leasing Company and Free Route Airspace, while hosting a workshop on aviation investment, financing, governance, human capital development and strategic partnerships. The convention concluded with the adoption of the Lomé Declaration, reaffirming support for a more connected, affordable and competitive African aviation ecosystem under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Agenda 2063.

DECISION HIGHLIGHT

Afreximbank is positioning aviation finance as a strategic instrument for accelerating continental trade integration, moving beyond policy advocacy towards financing the infrastructure and institutional frameworks required for SAATM implementation.

DECISION MEMO

The composition of Afreximbank’s delegation, bringing together expertise in trade facilitation, investment promotion and project finance through Awani, Zanamwe, Brume, Addo and Ozoemena-Ezeaku, illustrates that the bank views aviation integration as a multidisciplinary financing challenge rather than simply a transport policy issue. Africa’s aviation challenge increasingly reflects a financing and market integration gap rather than an infrastructure deficit alone. Afreximbank’s intervention indicates that successful implementation of SAATM will depend on coordinated capital deployment, payment interoperability and leasing solutions capable of lowering operating costs and improving aircraft accessibility.

By combining financial instruments with trade facilitation platforms such as PAPSS, the bank is attempting to reduce structural frictions that continue to limit cross-border air connectivity. The emphasis on governance, investment partnerships and human capital also suggests recognition that regulatory harmonisation alone cannot produce a competitive continental aviation market.

The adoption of the Lomé Declaration strengthens political commitment, but its economic significance will ultimately depend on translating declarations into bankable aviation projects and commercially sustainable regional air networks.

DATA BOX

• Convention: African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026
• Venue: Lomé, Togo
• Lead institution: African Export-Import Bank
• Delegation head: Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade & Export Development
• Key initiatives presented:
  • Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS)
  • Global Africa Leasing Company
  • Free Route Airspace
• Strategic outcome: Adoption of the Lomé Declaration
• Policy objectives supported:
  • Single African Air Transport Market
  • African Continental Free Trade Area
  • Agenda 2063

WHO WINS / WHO LOSES

Winners

• African airlines through improved access to financing and leasing.
• Regional investors seeking aviation infrastructure opportunities.
• Businesses relying on faster intra-African trade and logistics.
• Passengers through prospects for greater connectivity and competition.

Losers

• Fragmented national aviation markets resistant to liberalisation.
• Airlines constrained by high financing costs and regulatory fragmentation if reforms stall.

POLICY SIGNALS

• Development finance institutions are assuming larger roles in implementing continental integration initiatives.
• Aviation policy is increasingly being linked to trade facilitation rather than transport alone.
• Financing mechanisms are emerging as a central component of SAATM execution.

INVESTOR SIGNAL

The aviation value chain, particularly aircraft leasing, airport infrastructure, payment systems, logistics and aviation services, is becoming more investable as continental institutions align financing with market integration objectives. Execution of SAATM could expand demand across these sectors.

RISK RADAR

Political endorsement remains stronger than implementation capacity. Persistent regulatory divergence, uneven market liberalisation, financing constraints and weak institutional coordination could delay the commercial benefits anticipated under SAATM despite renewed continental commitment.