Providus Bank has announced the commencement of the Training to Transaction Programme, a flagship initiative designed to accelerate African small and medium-sized enterprises from export readiness into active participation in international trade.
The programme, which is in partnership with Borderless Trade and Investment, Duchess NL, and the Global African Business Association under the ECOWAS Parliament at 25 Programme, is positioned as a strategic intervention in Africa’s trade ecosystem.
The T2T Programme addresses a persistent gap: the disconnect between training and actual transaction execution. Through a structured blend of practical capacity building, compliance alignment, and direct market access, the programme enables SMEs to move beyond preparation and into measurable trade outcomes across global markets.
Speaking on the launch, Head of Global Trade and Structured Finance at Providus Bank, Dr Biodun Ariyo, said financial institutions also have a crucial role in supporting regional trade growth, noting that banks are now partnering with regional institutions to expand trade financing and facilitate cross-border transactions among businesses.
Backing him up, Head of Strategy & Innovation at Providus Bank, Ernest Elue, said, “At Providus Bank, we believe that sustainable economic growth is driven not just by preparing businesses, but by enabling them to perform.
The T2T Programme reflects our commitment to transforming potential into productivity by equipping African SMEs with the tools, standards, and access required to compete and transact globally.”
The programme offers participating businesses hands-on export readiness and transaction execution support, guidance on international regulatory and compliance requirements, and structured access pathways into markets across Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The T2T Programme is targeted at high-growth sectors with strong export potential, including Agro & Agro-processing, Cosmetics, Beverages, Garment Making & Textiles, and Leather & Tanning.
This initiative underscores Providus Bank’s broader strategy to catalyse trade-led economic expansion by empowering indigenous enterprises to scale beyond local markets and integrate into global value chains. It also reflects the bank’s continued role as a facilitator of enterprise growth, cross-border trade, and sustainable economic development.
