The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has unveiled a continent-wide digital platform to accelerate the commercialisation of African research and inventions, marking a decisive step toward transforming Africa from a consumer to a creator in global value chains.
The African Research and Innovation Hub (ARIH) was launched on the sidelines of the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers. The platform is designed to connect university researchers, students, start-ups, and industry players with investors and policymakers, thereby spurring industrialisation and boosting intra-African trade.
Through ARIH, prototypes and research publications from African universities and national institutes will gain visibility, with focus areas including green technologies, digital transformation, health security, and agricultural innovation.
“Africa contributes less than 3% of global research output despite bearing a disproportionate share of global development challenges,” said Dr. Yemi Kale, Afreximbank’s Group Chief Economist and Managing Director for Research. “Even more concerning, our R&D spending averages under 0.5% of GDP, far below the global average of 2.2%. History shows that nations only move up the industrial ladder when they deliberately invest in research ecosystems. ARIH is about turning Africa’s intellectual capital into industrial competitiveness.”
Jointly developed by Afreximbank, the African Union (AU), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the hub aims to turn African discoveries into commercially viable products and services while ensuring African ownership of innovation.
According to Afreximbank studies, doubling R&D investment to just 1% of GDP by 2030 could unlock an estimated US$60–US$70 billion annually in added value from agriculture, digital technology, and manufacturing. Such growth would cut import dependence and enhance Africa’s share of global trade — a central ambition of the AfCFTA, which brings together a market of 1.4 billion people and more than US$3.5 trillion in GDP.
Throughout the week-long IATF2025, ARIH is hosting pitch sessions, technical workshops, and roundtables coordinated by Algeria’s Ministry of Higher Education, bringing together academics, industry leaders, policymakers, and diaspora scientists from Africa and the Caribbean.
The launch underscores IATF’s mission to position African enterprises for cross-border trade. Since its inception, the biennial fair has facilitated over US$118 billion in trade and investment deals, with the 2025 edition alone expected to generate more than US$44 billion in transactions.
Analysts note that embedding innovation into intra-African trade is crucial if the continent is to capture more value from its raw materials, bridge its technology deficit, and create globally competitive industries.
Article by Jed Mwangi
Photo/Google
Comment