AACCI Nigeria positions itself as a gateway for Asia-Africa trade flows

The Asia-Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nigeria Chapter is betting on Nigeria as a central hub for Asia-Africa trade and investment, as it pushes to build structured partnerships that shift the continent from raw material exports to value-driven production systems.

At an event held on April 25, 2026, in Lagos, the chamber brought together business leaders and investors from both regions to advance its model of trade facilitation, investment matchmaking, and cross-border industrial collaboration.

The move comes as global supply chains face disruption from geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, creating an opening for Africa to attract capital and deepen its role in global trade.

“There comes a time when certain institutions, inflection points, events, and things happen for which we know that the time has come,” said Oji Eberechukwu, a member of AACCI’s board of directors. “The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the war in the Middle East, the economic crisis that has resulted across the world, and the attention that Africa is now receiving as really being at the centre of global trade make it imperative the conversation we are having today.”

ACCI is seeking to convert that global attention into structured trade flows by linking Asia’s capital and industrial capacity with Africa’s markets and resources, with Nigeria as a key entry point.

Speaking at the event, Akintoye Akindele, President, AACCI Nigeria Chapter, said Nigeria’s scale and resource base make it critical to the chamber’s strategy, but warned that its current trade structure limits economic gains.

“74% of our imports are in capital items. And 80% of our exports are in natural resources. So how do we develop the economy,” he said.

AACCI’s approach focuses on sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy, with a strong emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises.

“The big companies have to work collaboratively. But the SME conversation is not happening. Africa has 50 million MSMEs. America has 30 million. But America has 100 times more large companies than Africa altogether. That means the transition from MSME to large companies is not happening. That is system. That is process. That is capital. That is partnership,” Akindele said.

Shift from trade patterns to value retention

The discussion at the forum centered on Africa’s participation in global trade, if it is to benefit from rising international interest.

“That is essentially what the Chamber of Commerce is saying. We have to retain value, we have to multiply value, we have to dictate the terms, we have to be at the table because we qualify to be there,” Eberechukwu said.

Lerato Molebatsi, a South African keynote speaker at the event with over 25 years of experience across financial services, mining, and government, said the issue is not Africa’s absence from global markets but how it is positioned within them.

“Africa exports what it has, and that is its resources, its talent, and its culture. It imports what it builds. Industries, capital, and systems. And this is not a complaint. It is a configuration,” she said.

She added that this structure limits value creation across the continent.

“Africa is not absent from global flows. It is positioned within these global flows, and it has been positioned within them in a way that limits value retention,” Molebatsi said.

She warned that without integration, economic gains will remain limited.

“Africa is a master of projects. It has not yet mastered systems. Excellence exists. It simply does not yet speak to itself,” she said.

AACCI is attempting to address this gap by building networks that connect businesses, capital, and markets across regions.

The chamber is also promoting a deeper and direct engagement between Asia and Africa, particularly in sectors where both regions have complementary strengths.

Akindele said the organisation facilitated about 92 million dollars in trade across multiple countries last year, with job creation driven largely by SME partnerships.

“And you can see it is not just one way. Our African brothers also created opportunities in India, Asia as well,” he said.

He added that reducing reliance on traditional financial channels could lower transaction costs.

“We do not have to go to the US to transfer money to each other. We can bypass that currency conversion. That leads to a lower cost of transaction by at least 30 to 40 percent,” he said.

Despite growing interest in Africa, speakers warned that the opportunity may not last without decisive action.

“We are not begging anybody; we are not at the mercy of anybody. The world needs us now just as much as we need the world,” Eberechukwu said.