TRT Manufacturing and TradeDepot have launched Africa Trade Engine (ATE), a new joint venture aiming to close Africa’s $50 billion annual import gap by boosting local production and intra-African trade.
The initiative is positioned as a private-sector accelerator for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), uniting industrial capacity, digital trade infrastructure, and logistics networks to transform how goods are produced and distributed across the continent.
Its founders — TRT Manufacturing’s Adam Molai and TradeDepot’s Kachi Izukanne — envision ATE as the platform that will move the continent from dependence on imports toward domestic production and regional self-sufficiency.
“The talking is over. Africa Trade Engine ensures Africa’s industrialisation, intra-continental trade, and sustainable job creation are not future aspirations but operational realities. Built by African hands and powered by African enterprise, ATE transforms trade theory into trade at work,” said Chairman of ATE, Adam Molai.
Localising production to close Africa’s import gap
At the core of ATE’s mission is the goal to localise the production of essential fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) such as personal care and household products, sectors that currently depend heavily on imports.
The new venture aims to replace billions of dollars’ worth of imported goods with locally manufactured alternatives, thereby addressing an estimated $50 billion annual import deficit.
According to co-founder of TradeDepot and CEO of ATE, Kachi Izukanne, this shift represents both an economic and environmental breakthrough.
“Africa’s move from import dependency to local production is not just an economic imperative — it’s a job creation and climate game-changer,” he said.
- The model also supports the continent’s demographic advantage, where over 60% of the population is under 25 years old.
- Each production facility is expected to create jobs, transfer technical skills, and stabilise local economies, effectively turning Africa’s youth bulge into a productive dividend.
A climate-positive industrialisation model
Beyond economics, ATE’s regionalised production networks aim to reduce long-distance shipping emissions and strengthen Africa’s climate resilience.
By producing closer to consumers, ATE helps countries lower their carbon footprints and advance national decarbonisation goals.
“Every kilometre of reduced shipping is a tangible carbon win. Each facility means livelihoods retained, families stabilised, and skills transferred locally. Manufacturing at home is migration policy in action,” said Izukanne.
The initiative was conceived in response to the COVID-19 supply chain crisis, which exposed Africa’s dependence on global supply routes for essential goods.
ATE’s distributed manufacturing and pack-out nodes ensure continuity of supply during future global disruptions.
Harnessing data to power localisation
ATE’s digital backbone will also introduce a new Localisation Africa Index, a data-driven benchmark that tracks how brands localise production, sourcing, and distribution.
The index will serve as an ESG-aligned transparency tool, helping investors, governments, and consumers measure the real progress of “Made in Africa” commitments.
“The Localisation Index will be an accountability framework — a transparent lens into who is truly producing in Africa. It will redefine competitiveness and encourage brands to commit to local value creation,” Izukanne explained.
- Additionally, ATE’s data analytics and trade insights will guide both public and private sector decisions, enabling smarter investments in production capacity, logistics infrastructure, and cross-border commerce.
- By aligning its operations with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which connects 54 signatory countries, 1.4 billion people, and a $3.4 trillion combined GDP, ATE positions itself as a strategic enabler of continental trade integration.
