BUSINESS REPORTER
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will host its 30th annual meeting in Accra, Ghana, in June, the trade finance bank said in a statement.
The annual meetings run from June 18 to 21 under the theme, Delivering the Vision. Building Prosperity for Africans.
The annual meetings coincide with the bank’s 30th anniversary.
The annual meetings will bring together senior government officials from the continent and the Caribbean, policymakers corporate leaders, bankers, ad the academia, among others.
The meetings will include the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders and an extensive seminar programme, featuring plenaries and side events.
Benedict Oramah, Afreximbank president and chairman of the board of directors thanked Ghana for “graciously accepting to host Afreximbank’s 30th Annual Meetings”.
“30 years ago, the founding fathers of Afreximbank launched a bold initiative for Africans. The hard work of the past three decades, in pursuit of that vision, has shaped what Afreximbank has become today. Member States, clients, customers and partners, the business and international trade community, all those in Africa and the diaspora who strive for the prosperity of African people are invited to join us in Accra to celebrate the Bank’s achievements and reflect on its future in an increasingly turbulent world,” Oramah said.
Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s Finance minister, said it was befitting that the commemoration “of this milestone for Africa’s key Trade Finance institution is co-organised by the host of AFCFTA Secretariat, the Government, and people of Ghana, who are determined torch bearers for Africa’s quest for trade expansion and integration”.
“This is another opportunity to deepen cooperation and seek African solutions to Africa’s challenges,” he said.
Afreximbank has been the all-weather financial institution, intervening in crises.
In 2020, Afreximbank co-financed a US$1.5bn facility to support African economies with rapid financial assistance to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It also unveiled a US$4bn facility to cushion African countries from the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The trade finance bank has also expanded beyond Africa into the Caribbean. Last year, Afreximbank signed a partnership agreement with CARICOM members so that they enjoy the same benefits accorded to African countries. An Afreximbank CARICOM office will be established in Barbados.
The Afreximbank board has approved US$1.5bn facility to support eligible CARICOM States, with a commitment to increase this to US$3bn.
