By Caroline Washaya-Moyo
HARARE is set to gain a major new trade, business and hospitality landmark as the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) moves towards completion of its Southern Africa Regional Office, the Afreximbank African Trade Centre Harare (AATC), in Greenwood Park.
The development, strategically located at the corner of Chitepo Avenue and 7th Street, is expected to add significant commercial, conferencing and hospitality capacity to the capital while providing a dedicated platform for trade facilitation and business engagement.
Construction of the 31,256 square metre mixed-use development is being undertaken on a 15,000 square metre site near Harare’s city centre, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2027.
The project will comprise a seven-storey corporate office tower, a three-storey conference and exhibition centre, a 10-storey four-star business hotel and a basement parking level.
The 118-room hotel will feature two restaurants and a rooftop infinity pool, while the conference and exhibition centre will accommodate up to 550 guests.
The office tower will house Afreximbank’s corporate operations and provide selected tenants with approximately 4,478 square metres of Grade A office space across four floors.
The development will also include meeting rooms, a members’ gym and wellness centre, retail kiosks, ATMs and a coffee shop, creating an integrated environment for corporate activity, meetings, hospitality and business networking.
Afreximbank said the project incorporates modern building systems and sustainable design principles designed to support safe, secure, efficient and reliable building management.
The facility is also expected to become one of Harare’s green-certified buildings, highlighting the bank’s commitment to sustainability and responsible management of its carbon footprint.
At the heart of the development is its planned role as a one-stop centre for trade information, facilitation and services.
The Harare AATC will form part of a network of at least eight Bank-owned African Trade Centres planned across Africa and the Caribbean, providing infrastructure to support the expansion of intra-African trade and business connections.
The centre’s architectural design is intended to reflect Africa’s trading heritage and the continent’s economic aspirations.
Inspired by pre-colonial trade and the traditional bazaar, the design incorporates an internal street, central courtyard and interconnected mixed-use spaces intended to encourage collaboration, networking, innovation and commercial engagement.
For Harare, the development comes as the capital continues to strengthen its role as a centre for commerce, investment, conferencing and regional business activity.
The combination of Grade A office space, a business hotel and conference and exhibition facilities is expected to expand the city’s capacity to host corporate meetings, trade engagements, exhibitions and other business events.
The project also provides an additional platform for Zimbabwean and regional businesses to engage with Afreximbank’s trade and investment ecosystem.
Afreximbank has now begun marketing the available office space and is inviting interested organisations to submit expressions of interest outlining their space requirements.
With construction expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, the Afreximbank African Trade Centre Harare is poised to become a significant addition to the capital’s evolving commercial landscape.
