Africa pension assets exceed $3 trillion as intra-Africa trade reaches $220b

Speaking Thursday July 9, 2026, at the opening of the third edition of the Africa Unlocked Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Bill Blackie, Chief Executive Business and Commercial Banking of Standard Bank expressed optimism over the conference, and while at it, he noted that the global context in which the conference was being held remains complex.

According to Blackie, international trade remains one of the most powerful engines of Africa’s economic prosperity, as African businesses are renegotiating the terms of their engagement with China, India and the Gulf—moving from raw material exporters to value-added partners.

Economic growth in Africa is expected to reach approximately four percent in 2026 with intra-African trade increasing more than 12 percent in 2025, pension assets on the continent now exceed $3 trillion.