The African Export-Import Bank has issued a $29 million guarantee to BSMART Technology Ltd to support the implementation and scaling of the EAC Customs Bond, a technology-enabled regional customs guarantee solution designed to simplify cross-border movement of goods across East Africa.
The facility strengthens the financial capacity underpinning the EAC Customs Bond and supports the transition toward a more seamless digital and integrated customs environment, enabling BSMART Technology Ltd to expand implementation and drive market uptake of the platform.
The financial support builds on Afreximbank’s close collaboration with the East African Community Secretariat, which began with the pilot phase of the EAC Customs Bond in August 2025 and continued through its official launch during the Heads of State Summit in March 2026.
Through its African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme, Afreximbank has led efforts to develop regional customs guarantee and digital solutions that facilitate intra-African trade.
Afreximbank views the EAC Customs Bond as a significant step toward simplifying and digitising customs processes across East Africa.
The platform allows clearing and forwarding agents and other eligible users, including guarantors and customs authorities, to access customs bonds digitally, reducing reliance on physical documentation and improving the cross-border movement of goods.
The solution is specifically designed to eliminate the need for physical bond documentation to be posted at each border for goods entering and exiting the region, supporting a more seamless transit environment.
By strengthening the financial capacity underlying the digital customs ecosystem, the new facility is expected to drive expanded adoption of the EAC Customs Bond across the region, improve access to capacity, reduce administrative and documentation burdens, and facilitate faster movement of goods across borders.
It is also expected to support broader digitisation of customs processes, contributing to the wider goal of increasing intra-African trade.
Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank, framed the facility as part of the Bank’s broader trade-integration mandate.
“This facility demonstrates Afreximbank’s commitment to developing practical solutions that break down the barriers to intra-African trade,” Awani said. “With the EAC Customs Bond, we are supporting the digitisation and simplification of access to customs guarantees for businesses moving goods across the region – cutting costs and improving the efficiency of customs procedures. The Bond complements Afreximbank’s broader AACTGS programme to strengthen capacity across Africa. It deepens our relationship with the EAC Secretariat and other stakeholders, including the regional economic commissions. Above all, this intervention aligns with the Bank’s mandate to support the implementation of the AfCFTA and accelerate the integration of African markets.”
Stephen Teang, Managing Director of BSMART Technology Ltd, welcomed the facility as validation of the company’s growth trajectory.
“This facility provides important support for BSMART’s growth ambitions and reflects strong confidence in EACBond,” Teang said. “We thank Afreximbank for their partnership and support.”
The EAC Customs Bond’s rollout has progressed steadily since its inception.
The EAC Secretariat began piloting the platform in Uganda in 2025, followed by the onboarding of Rwanda and Burundi in January 2026, before its official launch at the 25th Summit of Heads of State in March 2026.
Under the digital platform, an agent moving goods across multiple countries can complete the process entirely digitally, rather than submitting physical documents at each border post, a shift that reduces administrative friction and helps avoid the delays that have long characterised cross-border trade logistics in the region.
The initiative reflects a broader trend among African trade finance institutions toward digitising customs and border infrastructure as a mechanism for boosting intra-African trade volumes, a priority that has gained urgency as the African Continental Free Trade Area moves from framework to implementation across the continent’s regional economic blocs.
