The African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced its annual meetings will be held next month in the capital Nassau in The Bahamas during which Heads of State and business leaders are expected to take part. The 31st annual meetings, expected to be held on June 12-15, will be graced by Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Prime Minister of The Bahamas Philip Davis, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, and Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, among other leaders. The annual meetings will be held under the theme ‘Owning our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa.’ ALSO READ: Rwanda, Afreximbank to sign $500 million trade financing deals The conversations will focus on discussing and determining solutions to the challenges that affect African and Caribbean economies, the policy issues required to promote growth, development and prosperity across Africa and the Caribbean, and how to accelerate intra-African trade and investment flows. Some of the topics listed for discussion include Managing Macroeconomic Crises: Some Lessons from Africa and the Caribbean, Making the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Work for Global Africa, A Vision for Afri-Caribbean Socio-Political and Economic Cooperation and Integration – Perspectives of Former Leaders. Other sessions include, ‘Towards An Afri-Caribbean Free Trade Agreement: Converting Afri-Caribbean Opportunities into Reality,’ ‘Policy Imperatives for Attracting Trade and Investment into the Caribbean,’ and ‘A Conversation Among Policy and Political Leaders.’ ALSO READ: Spiro agrees to 50 million USD debt facility with Afreximbank to accelerate expansion Prominent athletes and artists such as legendary tennis star Serena Williams, and American movie star Viola Davis are expected to attend the annual meetings and participate in conversations. The multilateral lending institution is a key investment partner in Rwanda. Last week at the Africa CEO Forum, it announced a debt facility with Spiro worth $50 million to enable the company scale its operations across Africa. Afreximbank’s investment platform, the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), in March opened its permanent offices in Kigali. Rwanda has played a key supporting role in being the first of the 12 African countries to accede and ratify the FEDA Establishment Agreement and in hosting FEDA and the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Corporation for which FEDA is a fund manager. Afreximbank last held its annual meetings in Rwanda in 2017 during which it signed a $500 million trade financing deal with the Government of Rwanda to fund the development of industrial parks, expansion of RwandAir, and a new international airport in Bugesera District.
