by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) — STANDARD Bank is strengthening support for African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to expand into regional and international markets by combining financial services with market access, logistics and export-readiness support.
The bank has incorporated DHL’s GoTrade platform into its SME Export Readiness Programme, seeking to address practical barriers that businesses face when trading across borders, particularly those in landlocked markets and smaller enterprises shipping consignments between countries.
GoTrade provides SMEs with technical assistance, regulatory guidance, market access and export expertise to help them participate in international trade.
Junaid Jadwat, Head of Coverage for Business and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank Group, said African businesses needed more than competitive products to succeed internationally.
“Businesses need access to customers, market intelligence and trusted partners that can help them navigate the realities of cross-border trade,” he said.
The Export Readiness Programme, implemented with DHL Express South Africa, was initially launched in KwaZulu-Natal and expanded this year to Gauteng and the Western Cape.
It provides businesses with practical guidance on export processes, customs, compliance, logistics and market entry, alongside financial and trade expertise.
The collaboration is significant as intra-African trade accounts for only about 15 percent of the continent’s total trade, despite Africa having more than 1.4 billion people and a combined gross domestic product exceeding US$3 trillion.
Simone Cooper, Head of Business and Commercial Banking South Africa at Standard Bank Group, said Africa’s annual trade-finance gap exceeded US$80 billion, with SMEs among those most affected.
She called for more accessible trade finance, integrated financial and market-access solutions, and stronger collaboration between banks, governments, development finance institutions and trade platforms.
Standard Bank said its Africa-China Trade Solutions (ACTS) initiative had already generated tangible results. In 2025, clients from four African markets secured export contracts worth about US$140 million (R2.3 billion) with Chinese importers.
Through its partnership with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the bank facilitates business matchmaking and provides financing, payments, foreign exchange, market intelligence and trade advisory services.
It also supported African exporters at major trade platforms, including the China International Import Expo and China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
Jadwat said the bank’s broader objective was to help African businesses develop the capabilities and connections needed to compete beyond their domestic markets.
“Trade has the potential to unlock significant growth opportunities for African SMEs but success requires the right support structures,” he said.
— CAJ News