Afreximbank Academy (AFRACAD) has opened registration for the 2026 cohort of its Certificate of Trade Finance in Africa (COTFIA), a flagship programme aimed at bridging critical skills gaps to enhance the continent’s trade finance capacity and global competitiveness. The registration deadline for banking professionals and trade finance practitioners is 31 May 2026.
The COTFIA programme provides comprehensive training in international trade finance, with content continuously updated to align with global best practices and the operational realities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The 2026 edition will follow a blended learning format, combining five instructor-led virtual modules, one in-person session at the American University in Cairo (AUC) campus in New Cairo, Egypt, and a final asynchronous online module.
Developed in partnership with Factors Chain International, AUC, and Quarter Bank, the course is designed to equip participants with the technical, regulatory, and practical competencies needed to navigate and support intra-African and global trade. This collaboration reinforces the programme’s academic rigour and regional relevance.
Mr. Stephen Kauma, Afreximbank’s Managing Director for Human Resources, highlighted the programme’s strategic role in cultivating skilled professionals to advance Africa’s trade agenda. To improve accessibility, AFRACAD will award scholarships covering 50 per cent of tuition fees to the first seven registrants for the 2026 cohort.
The COTFIA programme’s quality was recognised in October 2025 when it received the Silver Award in the Professional Development category at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Excellence in Practice Awards. Initially launched in 2016 as the Certificate of Finance in International Trade (COFIT), it was restructured in 2021 through the partnership with AUC’s Onsi Sawiris School of Business.
To date, the programme has graduated over 150 professionals from across Africa, contributing to a stronger continental trade finance ecosystem. With the AfCFTA expected to significantly boost intra-African trade, targeted capacity-building initiatives like COTFIA are considered vital for enabling financial institutions and practitioners to effectively support this growth.
Interested professionals can register for the 2026 COTFIA programme via the official event page. The initiative underscores a sustained effort to develop homegrown expertise essential for Africa’s expanded participation in global markets.
