electricsheepafrica/african-trade-finance-gap

---
license: cc-by-4.0
task_categories:
- tabular-classification
tags:
- trade
- finance
- sme
- letter-of-credit
- afcfta
- credit-gap
- sub-saharan-africa
- synthetic
pretty_name: African Trade Finance Gap
size_categories:
- n<10K
language:
- en
configs:
- config_name: baseline
data_files: data/finance_gap_baseline.csv
- config_name: increased_access
data_files: data/finance_gap_increased_access.csv
- config_name: digital_transformation
data_files: data/finance_gap_digital_transformation.csv
---

# African Trade Finance Gap

Synthetic trade finance gap dataset covering African SME export applications, LC issuance, rejection rates, and collateral requirements. Designed for financial inclusion research, trade finance market analysis, and DFI intervention modeling.

## Dataset Description

- **10,000** synthetic trade finance records
- **40 countries**: Major African trading nations
- **3 scenarios**: baseline, increased_access, digital_transformation
- **18 variables** per record

## Variables

| Variable | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| application_id | string | Unique application identifier |
| country | string | Applicant country |
| year | int | Application year |
| sme_type | string | SME category |
| sector | string | Business sector |
| export_destination | string | Destination region |
| application_type | string | Type of finance |
| amount_requested_usd | float | Amount requested |
| amount_approved_usd | float | Amount approved |
| approval_status | string | approved, rejected, pending |
| rejection_reason | string | Reason if rejected |
| collateral_required | int | Binary: collateral needed |
| collateral_value_usd | float | Collateral value |
| bank_size | string | small, medium, large |
| interest_rate | float | Interest rate % |
| processing_days | int | Days to process |
| scenario | string | baseline, increased_access, digital_transformation |

## Scenarios

- **baseline** (4K): Limited access, high rejection, 2018-2021
- **increased_access** (4K): DFI programs, guarantee schemes, 2022-2024
- **digital_transformation** (2K): Digital trade finance platforms, 2025-2026

## Generation Methodology

Parameters calibrated against IFC Trade Finance in West Africa 2022, WTO trade finance surveys, Afreximbank trade finance data.

## Use Cases

- Trade finance gap analysis
- SME financing research
- DFI intervention impact modeling
- Risk assessment model development

## Citation

```bibtex
@dataset{african_trade_finance_gap_2026,
title={African Trade Finance Gap Dataset},
author={ElectricSheepAfrica},
year={2026},
license={cc-by-4.0}
}
```

## License

CC BY 4.0 - This is synthetic data generated for research and educational purposes.