Afreximbank and ZEP-RE Forge Continental Alliance to Elevate Trade and Insurance Capacity

The African Export-Import Bank and ZEP-RE, also known as PTA Reinsurance Company, have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build professional and institutional capacity across Africa. The agreement targets key operational pillars including trade, insurance, reinsurance, risk management, and trade facilitation. The initiative brings together the Afreximbank Academy, known as AFRACAD, and ZEP-RE Academy to create and scale collaborative learning, research, and knowledge programmes that combine their respective institutional expertise across the continent.

The formal agreement was signed at ZEP-RE offices in Nairobi by Mr. Stephen Kauma, Group Managing Director of Human Resources at Afreximbank, and Mr. Jephita Gwatipedza, Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of ZEP-RE. Under the terms of the three-year partnership, AFRACAD and ZEP-RE Academy will cooperate across three strategic pillars. Central to this cooperation is a joint content factory approach designed to co-create digital learning content, including e-learning courses, practical toolkits, and localized African case studies.

These structured and reusable learning resources will identify thematic priorities to expand access to relevant professional education across African markets. The resulting materials will be distributed through AFRACAD digital learning platforms and ZEP-RE Academy Learning Management Systems. During the signing ceremony, Mr. Stephen Kauma noted that expanding trade and investment requires targeted knowledge, skills, and institutional capacity alongside financial resources and physical infrastructure. Mr. Jephita Gwatipedza added that sustainable trade expansion depends on the ability of supporting institutions to accurately understand, price, and manage associated risks by connecting trade finance directly with insurance and reinsurance expertise.

Why This Matters

Expanding intra-African commerce requires more than capital allocation and physical transport corridors. By uniting trade finance with insurance and reinsurance expertise, this institutional partnership addresses a foundational gap in market capability. Complex commercial exchanges cannot scale sustainably if the institutions facilitating them lack the specialized risk management and underwriting proficiency required to navigate diverse regulatory and operational environments across the continent.

Equipping professionals with localized digital learning content, practical toolkits, and relevant case studies builds long-term institutional resilience. When financial and insurance institutions deepen their technical capabilities concurrently, local markets gain a stronger foundation for pricing risk accurately. This structured human capital development supports broader economic integration by ensuring that regional trade expansion is underpinned by robust institutional knowledge and competent risk governance.

Opportunities

• Digital Content Developers: Opportunities to collaborate on building localized e-learning modules, toolkits, and case studies for joint distribution platforms.
• Corporate Training Providers: Commercial openings to integrate AFRACAD and ZEP-RE Academy educational frameworks into internal staff development programs.
• Risk Management Consultants: Prospects to engage with financial institutions leveraging enhanced underwriting and risk mitigation methodologies.
• Insurance and Reinsurance Operators: A strengthened environment for talent development, fostering better alignment between trade finance and risk coverage.

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