This publications tries to answer to a question whether there are special features of Africa that would help explain the massive poverty and inequality that engulf the continent. Weak initial conditions (such as weak institutions, human capital and extractive colonial history and its attendant institution) at the time of independence; the dependence of almost all African countries on primary commodity production and trade; lack of non-aid financial capital flows and the alarming level of aid-dependency; lack of ownership of policies which are invariably imposed on Africa by donors; prevalence of conflict and poor governance are some of the issues where possible explanations for this severe lack of progress and pervasive poverty might be found. Many countries, especially those in East Asia, extracted themselves from such massive poverty, among other things, by designing and implementing an appropriate industrial and export strategy. In this study an attempt to draw lessons from such economies about their successful export strategy so as to help tackle the challenge of export development in Africa is made. Given such general focus of the study an emphasis is placed on the role the African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank) could play in addressing the export challenges of Africa.