Afreximbank to convene sixth AfSNET Investment Conference in Nigeria to advance sub-sovereign funding and trade

KAMPALA, October 15 2026 — The African Export-Import Bank [Afreximbank], in partnership with the Cross River State Government, Nigeria Governors’ Forum [NGF] and the Forum of State Investment Promotion Agencies in Nigeria [FoSIPAN], will convene the sixth African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network [AfSNET] Investment Conference in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, from November 12-14, 2026.

The conference will bring together African sub-sovereign governments, investors, financial institutions and development partners to advance investment-ready projects, partnerships and intra-African trade opportunities across the continent.

The conference will be held at the Calabar International Convention Centre under the theme: “The role of Sub-Sovereigns in catalysing development through trade and investment.”

Established by Afreximbank in 2021, AfSNET provides a structured platform for African states, provinces, counties, municipalities and other sub-sovereign authorities to showcase investment opportunities, engage investors and financiers, strengthen project development capabilities and contribute directly to intra-African trade, industrialisation and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area [AfCFTA].

The network also serves as a platform for taking the AfCFTA and Afreximbank’s financial products and services closer to local communities and businesses.

Since its inception, AfSNET has brought together more than 1,400 delegates across five editions, with representatives from 21 African countries, and facilitated more than US$3.2 billion in investment opportunities and transactions.

These opportunities include the US$ 40 million Med Aditus Pharmaceuticals project in Kisumu, Kenya, which is under preparation and envisages a manufacturing plant with the capacity to produce at least two billion tablets and capsules annually for the treatment of non-communicable diseases.

In Nigeria, the Cross River State Government has appointed Afreximbank as financial adviser for the development of the US$ 1.7 billion Bakassi Deep Seaport project, which is expected to strengthen maritime trade connectivity and support industrial and logistics development.

In South Africa, the US$ 871 million Nyanza Light Metals project is under development and involves a titanium dioxide pigment manufacturing plant with a planned annual production capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes. The project is expected to support mineral beneficiation and industrialisation.

The 2026 conference will build on AfSNET’s focus on investment promotion, project preparation and direct engagement between sub-sovereign governments, investors and development partners.

Previous editions have provided governments with opportunities to showcase projects, strengthen investment promotion capabilities and engage potential investors. At the sixth edition in Calabar, the focus will increasingly shift towards converting investment potential into bankable projects and transactions.

The three-day programme will include investment promotion training, project preparation workshops, investment showcases, discussions on Special Economic Zones, business-to-government deal rooms and investment pitch sessions designed to connect sub-sovereign governments directly with financiers and investors.

The sessions will also explore opportunities in tourism and the creative economy, trade-enabling infrastructure and regional economic integration.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Senator Bassey Otu, Governor of Cross River State, said hosting the sixth AfSNET Investment Conference would provide the state with an opportunity to engage African and international investors, showcase its investment opportunities and build partnerships to support sustainable economic development.

“Hosting the sixth AfSNET Investment Conference provides Cross River State with an important opportunity to engage African and international investors, demonstrate the breadth of investment opportunities within the State and build partnerships that can support sustainable economic development,” Otu said.

“We look forward to welcoming governments, businesses, financiers and development partners to Calabar and to demonstrating the important role that sub-sovereign governments can play in driving trade and investment under the AfCFTA.”

Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank, said sub-sovereign governments were central to Africa’s economic transformation because they are where much of the continent’s production, infrastructure development and investment ultimately take place.

“Through AfSNET, we are creating a practical platform through which states, provinces and counties can strengthen project preparation, connect viable opportunities with capital and build the productive capacity needed to expand intra-African trade,” Awani said.

“The sixth AfSNET Investment Conference will therefore place particular emphasis on bankable projects, investment mobilisation and partnerships that can support industrialisation, value addition and stronger regional value chains.”

Afreximbank recognises sub-sovereign governments as critical to the implementation of the AfCFTA because of their proximity to local businesses, infrastructure, productive sectors and communities.

AfSNET aims to help translate continental trade ambitions into productive investment and economic activity within Africa’s states, provinces and counties by strengthening project preparation, investment promotion and access to capital.

The 2026 conference will therefore seek to strengthen practical links between investment opportunities and capital, while providing participating authorities with the knowledge, networks and tools needed to develop projects capable of attracting long-term financing.

https://thecooperator.news/appo-chief-urges-african-nocs-to-jointly-develop-energy-projects/

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