Cheapside, London — Dean Adansi, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana International Bank (GHIB), has unveiled a financing blueprint aimed at breaking Africa’s dependence on raw commodity exports and driving investment into local value addition.
Speaking to the BBC on the sidelines of GHIB CONVERGE 2025 in London, Adansi argued that Africa is losing billions of dollars annually due to a persistent trade finance gap that leaves exporters unable to invest in processing. “Interest rates are significantly higher than in the West in many African countries, making it very difficult for smaller entities with short-track records to obtain the financing they need,” he said.
He noted that Africa’s share of global trade remains under 3 percent, but closing an US$80 billion trade finance gap could generate an additional US$133 billion annually, with direct impact on jobs, revenues, and local capital markets.
Adansi stressed that financing remains the main bottleneck: “Processing plants need substantial upfront capital, longer repayment periods, and different risk assessments than standard commodity trade deals. Traditional banking products are rarely designed to support multi-year investment cycles in processing.”
GHIB, operating from London for 65 years, is working with financial institutions in West Africa to make them more attractive to larger international lenders, thereby creating a cycle where local banks can support SMEs and smaller exporters. Over the past five years, the Ghana-owned bank has facilitated more than US$14 billion in trade flows, including US$10.6 billion in documentary trade collections and US$2.7 billion in primary trade finance transactions across Sub-Saharan Africa.
At the conference, missed opportunities were highlighted, including a US$10 million onion contract for Senegal that went to European suppliers despite West Africa’s raw output — because local producers could not secure financing for processing capacity. GHIB’s plan includes specialized commodity finance tools such as pre-export financing tied to off-take agreements, inventory financing, and equipment leasing.
Research presented at the forum showed that raising Africa’s value-added exports from 14 to 25 percent could generate over US$50 billion in additional revenue annually and create millions of industrial jobs. Ghana’s growing cocoa processing capacity and gold refining investments were cited as examples of targeted finance success.
Adansi also pointed to the AfCFTA as a game-changer, enabling regional-scale processing hubs. He underscored the role of technology, transparency, and environmental finance in positioning Africa’s processed commodities competitively.
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“Digital platforms can link processors directly with buyers, and blockchain can certify and track goods in ways that command premium prices. With carbon markets and sustainability-linked financing, Africa can attract the capital it needs while meeting global standards,” he told delegates.
GHIB’s model combines partnerships with commercial banks, development finance institutions, and governments. Pilot projects, Adansi said, could demonstrate the viability of scaling up across key commodities: “If we can build value chains that keep more of the processing on African soil, the gains will be felt not just in GDP, but in livelihoods.”
About CONVERGE
GHIB’s flagship CONVERGE forum brings together bankers, regulators, and industry players to debate Africa’s trade and finance challenges. Modeled on the bank’s long-running “Summer School” training program for West African executives, the platform now serves as a regional roundtable for ideas to boost trade and industrial growth.
About GHIB
Ghana International Bank (GHIB) is a London-based institution wholly owned by the Bank of Ghana. Regulated in the UK, it has operated in the City of London for more than six decades, providing correspondent banking, trade finance, and treasury services. The bank serves African governments, corporates, SMEs, and the diaspora, bridging international capital markets with Africa’s financial sector.