Afreximbank, a pan-African financial institution, has signed an agreement with the East African Business Council (EABC) to help more companies connect to the **Africa Trade Gateway (ATG)**, a digital platform designed to support trade across the continent. The ATG provides tools for businesses to find verified buyers and suppliers, and it also offers financing, payment, compliance, and logistics services. The partnership aims to help companies better access the East African Community (EAC) market, which has over 300 million consumers, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf), which includes more than 1.3 billion consumers. The EABC will assist businesses with understanding rules of origin, customs procedures, and export requirements related to ZLECAf. The **Africa Trade Gateway**, launched in 2023, is one of several initiatives by Afreximbank to boost trade within Africa. The platform offers services such as payment processing, trade financing, compliance checks, logistics support, and market intelligence. According to the bank, the ATG ecosystem operates in more than 45 African countries, involving 45 trade support institutions, 110 commercial banks, and 25,000 verified companies. The total value of commercial opportunities listed on the platform reaches $4.5 billion. The expansion of the ATG aligns with efforts by East African companies to take full advantage of regional and continental trade integration. According to the EABC's East Africa Trade and Investment Climate Report 2026, published on October 5, the total trade of the EAC reached $156.6 billion in 2025, with intra-regional trade accounting for $19.54 billion—about 12.5 percent of the total. Cross-border trade between EAC countries has grown by 28.2 percent, but challenges remain, including non-tariff barriers, complex customs procedures, and coordination difficulties. In recent developments, Innocent Konan has taken on the role of General Manager for Bayer’s operations in West and Central Africa, starting in July 2026. In Côte d'Ivoire, the SGPME, a local business organization, provided a $5.1 million guarantee to Cofina, a financial institution, after mobilizing 108.77 billion CFA francs (about $185.9 million) to support 3,715 small and medium-sized enterprises. Meanwhile, the Kano-Maradi rail project in Nigeria and Niger is considered vital for improving commercial flows in the Sahel region. In West Africa, competition is growing among ports along the route from Cotonou to Tema, passing through Lomé and Lagos, as goods are increasingly transported to Niger. India has launched an investigation into possible fraud involving the origin of shipments declared from Niger. Although Niger is not a major player in the global soy import market, India has turned to Africa in 2026 to meet its growing demand for soy, leading to unusual interest in the region. In Angola, the **Museum of Slavery in Luanda** highlights the painful history of the transatlantic slave trade. At the Namur Festival in Belgium, African filmmakers are gaining recognition as key contributors to Francophone cinema, using French as a primary language for dialogue in their films, often blending it with local languages.