Int’l bankers, officials to take part in 29th Afreximbank meetings Wednesday

The 29th annual meetings of the Africa Export-Import Bank will kick off  on Wednesday with more than 3,000 high-profile international bankers and officials taking part.

Themed “Realising the AfCFTA Potential in the post Covid-19 Era—Leveraging the power of the youth”, the Afreximbank annual meetings will include Advisory Group Meetings and the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, complemented by seminars and plenaries.

Afreximbank Annual Meetings are open to banking industry professionals, trade and trade finance practitioners and other parties involved in economic development from across Africa and beyond.

The meetings are also attended by business and political leaders and have been ranked among the most important gatherings of economic decision-makers in Africa.

Organised by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the annual meetings will be attended by governors of central banks and heads of government in Africa, as well as representatives of regional and international organisations, atop of which the UN, the African Union (AU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The four-day event will also include two exhibitions about presidential programs and initiatives to support development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the framework of the African free trade agreement (AfCFTA).

Participants will also take up efforts to activate the AfCFTA in the post-Covid era. They will also discuss the future of economic integration in the continent and means to empower African youth.

Deputy governor of the CBE Ramy Abul Naga and CEO of the IMF Dr Mahmoud Mohieddin will take part in the inaugural session of the annual meetings on June 15.

CBE governor Tarek Amer is, meanwhile, set to speak during the general session about repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis for the African economies and trade.

The Africa Export-Import Bank was established in Abuja, Nigeria in October 1993 by African governments, private and institutional investors as well as non-African financial institutions and private investors for the purpose of financing, promoting and expanding intra-African and extra-African trade.