The 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) has kicked off in the capital Nassau in the Bahamas, attracting senior government officials, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, heads of development institutions, and non-governmental organisations, among others. The 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders and Advisory Group Meetings are being hosted for the first time in the Caribbean under the theme, “Owning Our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa.” Benedict Oramah, the President and Chairman of Afreximbank, seeks to remind leaders of the continent the challenges that Africa faces, but also sends signals about the importance of partnering to address the challenges. “This year’s theme is a powerful reminder of the challenges we face in a global economic order, marked by deglobalisation and the disruption and the disruption of growth-promoting value chains,” he said, adding that it underscores the importance of unity and collaboration as we strive to build a prosperous future for Africans. ALSO READ: Afreximbank announces annual meetings in Bahamas next month At least 25 current and former heads of state are attending and participating in the meetings, which this year, are being held concurrently with the Afri-Carribean Trade and Investment Forum. Afreximbank’s annual meetings were last held in Rwanda in 2017 during which the bank 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. Who’s attending? Presidents of Kenya William Ruto, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, Nana Afro Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló of Guinea Bissau, Irfaan Ali of Guyana, Chan Santokhi of Suriname, Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria, and Faure Gnassingbé of Togo are attending the meetings. Prime ministers Mia Mottley of Barbados, Philip J. Pierre of St. Lucia, Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, and former prime ministers Percival Noel James Patterson of Jamaica, and Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia, are in attendance. Former presidents Macky Sall of Senegal, Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria are also participating in the meetings. Prominent athletes and artists such as legendary tennis star Serena Williams, and American movie star Viola Davis are also expected to attend the annual meetings and participate in conversations. ALSO READ: Afreximbank, petroleum producers agree to set up $5bn Energy Bank Afreximbank) is a pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance, facilitate and promote intra and extra-African trade. The trade financing institution is a key investment partner in Rwanda. Last month at the Africa CEO Forum, it announced a debt facility with Spiro worth $50 million to enable the company to 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.
