Harare African Trade Centre reaches construction milestone
Construction of the Harare African Trade Centre reached 75% completion according to a July 2026 update from Afreximbank. The bank said its Southern Africa regional director, Peter Olowononi, visited the development to assess progress ahead of completion, testing and commissioning.
Once operational, the centre is intended to provide trade finance, market intelligence, business support and facilities for conferences, exhibitions and networking. It follows the commissioning of the Abuja African Trade Centre in 2025 as part of a network supporting intra-African business.
For buyers and suppliers, a trade centre can provide a place to combine relationship-building with access to commercial information and support services. Its usefulness will depend on the services available, the businesses participating and the connections it helps create.
The reported construction milestone should not be read as an opening announcement. Businesses planning to use the centre should wait for confirmed operating dates and service information.
The buyer perspective is to identify the support that would make a difference to a trade requirement. This could include finding qualified suppliers, understanding a market or arranging meetings with potential partners. A clear brief makes it easier to evaluate whether a facility can help.
African Buyers Programme members interested in Southern Africa can follow the Harare centre’s commissioning and programme announcements. In the meantime, companies can prepare product information, purchasing requirements and a shortlist of markets to explore. That preparation will support focused engagement when services become available, connecting the physical venue with commercial objectives and the follow-up needed to achieve them.
