The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Company) have officially entered into a strategic three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at bridging the continent’s skills gap in trade, insurance, and risk management.

Signed at ZEP-RE’s headquarters in Nairobi by Stephen Kauma (Group Managing Director, HR at Afreximbank) and Jephita Gwatipedza (Group Deputy CEO and COO at ZEP-RE), the agreement unites the Afreximbank Academy (AFRACAD) and the ZEP-RE Academy to co-create specialized learning and research programs tailored for African markets.

The partnership seeks to equip financial professionals, regulators, and market participants with practical tools to navigate complex cross-border transactions and risk landscapes. The collaboration focuses on three core areas:

  • Digital Learning Content (“Content Factory”): Joint development of e-learning modules, toolkits, and African case studies distributed across AFRACAD and ZEP-RE digital platforms.
  • Executive & Professional Training: Co-designed masterclasses, certifications, and short courses covering risk and reinsurance, trade guarantees, financial infrastructure, and trade facilitation.
  • Research and Policy Dialogue: Collaborative studies, industry forums, and policy webinars designed to tackle emerging market challenges alongside regulators and private-sector leaders.

“Africa’s ability to expand trade and investment depends on more than financial resources and infrastructure. It also depends on knowledge, skills and institutional capacity across our markets,” stated Stephen Kauma, Group Managing Director, HR at Afreximbank.

Echoing these sentiments, Jephita Gwatipedza, Group Deputy CEO and COO at ZEP-RE, noted: “Trade cannot expand sustainably unless the institutions that finance and facilitate it can also understand, price and manage the risks involved. Its success will ultimately be measured… by whether professionals and institutions are better equipped to support Africa’s evolving trade landscape.”

This capacity-building initiative extends a maturing alliance between the two multilateral institutions. In 2025, Afreximbank and ZEP-RE launched the Trans-Africa Bond Alliance (TABA) to support the African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme (AACTGS) under the AfCFTA agenda.

TABA performance & market impact

  • 2025 Volume Supported: ~$185 million in bonds
  • Q1 2026 Volume Supported: ~$280 million in bonds
  • Geographic Scope: Risks originating from 24 cedents across 5 countries

Facility Scale: Supported by $1 billion in overall guarantee limits, including a $300 million joint facility in the COMESA region.