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This article was produced with the support of Afreximbank
Afreximbank’s 32nd annual meetings took off on a resonant note today in Abuja Nigeria with business and political heavyweights drawn from Nigeria, Africa and the Caribbean in attendance.
Speaker after speaker commented on the positive impact Afreximbank has had on African trade and development as well as the inspiring leadership of it’s departing president, Professor Benedict Oramah.
Denys Denya, Senior Executive Vice President, Afreximbank welcomed guests to the event with an excursion through Afreximbank’s conception in Abuja and it’s growth and impact over 35 years while noting that the support will not wane.
“As the world faces uncertainties, Afreximbank will continue to support African governments in achieving their aspirations,” he said while noting that “it is time to be deliberate about industrialisation in Africa and improving regional trade.”
Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, delivered a rousing speech that was reflective and inspiring as it highlighted Afreximbank’s intervention in Africa from its establishment in the 90s to its embrace of the CARICOM countries and the recent launch in Abuja of the first of it’s planned African Medical Centres of Excellence(AMCE)
According to Cardoso, “Afreximbank is a first responder in times of crisis. It has always risen to the occasion when Africa needed it most and has become a catalyst for change and converner of ambitions. It has also become a symbol of African financial fortitude.”
Speaking directly to the theme of resilience, Cardoso said: “Afreximbank has stood the test of time and what does it take to build an African institution that can stand the test of time? Resilience is not accidental, it is engineered through deliberate choices, strong foundations and mindset oriented towards the long-term. It also takes the ability to look beyond the noise.”
Addressing the gathering in his dual capacities as chairman of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI) and president of the African Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu in commending Professor Oramah for his leadership said he was the first person to send him a letter of congratulations after he was appointed President of the AFC.
Speaking on the AFC’s collaboration with Afreximbank, Zubairu said it was anchored on their shared vision. “AFC and Afreximbank have collaborated over the years. Our partnership shows that we are united in our shared vision for Africa’s development.”
He called attention to the AFC’s recently launched State of African Infrastructure Report 2025 and noted that “African development must be owned by Africans and must be financed by African capital.”
Caribbean acclaim
In his own comments, Terrance Drew, the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis described Afreximbank’s Global African initiative and embrace of the CARICOM nations as “a political and spiritual gesture. They did not just embrace us, they made us kin.”
His Excellency, Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria who was represented by an aide, Tope Fasua, alighted on the theme of resilience and how it informs the future.
“Resilience is not passive. It must be planned and protected. The future is not something we wait for. It is something we build. Let us seize this opportunity to build Africa’s next chapter.”
A high point of the morning was the launch of Afreximbank’s flagship reports – African Trade and Economic Outlook and the African Trade Report 2025.
Presenting the reports, Yemi Kale, Group Chief Economist at Afreximbank said “they are not mere compendiums but strategic narratives grounded in data and insights. They help us make sense of the world and chart a course through it.”
The reports, he said, “aside from identifying risks and providing forecasts, provide a road map for growth by converting complexity into clarity, and insight into action.”
The meetings will run from June 25 to 28 with more plenary sessions, conversations and presentations planned in the coming days.
