Afreximbank supports YALDA to enhance youth involvement in AfCFTA

AfCFTA is set to create the largest free trade area in the world with a market of more than 12 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of $2.5 trillion

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced funding and technical support to the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA), an international non-profit organisation that aims to contribute to the development of Africa’s young leaders and enhance youth participation in the implementation and achievement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The support will cover YALDA’s activities and events, which aim to provide a platform for African youth both within Africa and in the diaspora. These activities encourage them to participate in the implementation of the AfCFTA under a campaign named the ‘Umoja Africa Campaign – Youth Contributing to the Implementation of the AfCFTA’.

The campaign will use various platforms to create awareness of the concepts, benefits and opportunities that are available to youth through regional integration and intra-Africa trade. The campaign will work towards alleviating information asymmetry among Africa’s youth with respect to trade in Africa, generating conversations and discourse on youth involvement in the implementation of the AfCFTA.

Afreximbank joins the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union – AfCFTA Secretariat, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the United Nations Development Programme among institutions who have committed to engage Africa’s youth on the benefits of the AfCFTA.

Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said, “We are glad to be supporting YALDA to address information asymmetry around the AfCFTA. Creating awareness among the youth in Africa on the AfCFTA will encourage them to be more innovative and creative, empowering them to become leaders not only at home, but across borders. This is the Africa we want and YALDA’s initiative aims to include youth voices in achieving the goals of the AfCFTA. We hope that as the Umoja Africa Campaign gets going, we will start to see the youth taking advantage of the AfCFTA to achieve better livelihoods for themselves and their local communities.”

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.