News Release: Seychelles To Host Africa’s Political And Business Leaders As Afreximbank Holds AGM

Top African political and business leaders, joined by a Nobel laureate and leading international economic expert, will be among speakers addressing guests as the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) holds its 23^rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) and related activities in Seychelles from 18 to 24 July.

Information released in Cairo today by Afreximbank showed that, in addition to host President James Michel of Seychelles, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and no less than three serving African Presidents, as well as a host of business and economic experts, including Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, will be speaking on topics related to the theme, “Africa’s new economy: Intra-African Trade and the Blue Economy as catalyst for economic transformation” during the event.

Also on the list of speakers are ministers and central bank governors from Africa and beyond as well as prominent personalities like Ibrahim Gambari, a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General; Justin Lin, a former World Bank Chief Economist and Director, New Structural Economics and Honorary Dean of the National School of Development, Peking University, China; Liu Liange, President of the China Exim Bank; and Arni Mathiesen, an Assistant Director-General of the FAO and former Minister of Finance of Finland.

Speakers from the business community include Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, Nigeria; Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings ltd., Nigeria; Ahmed El Sewedy, President of El Sewedy Industries, Egypt; Dr. Paul Fokam, Chairman of Afriland First Bank Group; Dr. Chris Kirubi, Chairman of Haco Industries, Kenya; Ade Ayeyemi, CEO of Ecobank Transnational; and Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank.

The heads of many African and non-African financial institutions, high-level representatives of the Seychellois government, and renowned experts in African trade finance are also expected at the AGM.

The AGM activities will open on 20 July with the two days of seminars exploring prospects for accelerating economic development and transformation of African economies through trade, followed on July 22 by the meeting of the Afreximbank Advisory Group on Trade Finance and Export Development in Africa, which will feature an African Leaders Roundtable on Intra-African Trade as Catalyst for Economic Transformation.              

An investment forum, hosted by the Seychellois Government, and a trade exhibition will take place on 21 July while the AGM activities will conclude with the formal Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the Bank on 23 July.

Afreximbank, with an authorised capital of $5 billion, has four classes of shareholders. Class “A” is comprised of African governments, African central banks and African regional and sub-regional institutions while Class “B” consists of African private investors and African financial institutions. Class "C" is made up of non-African financial institutions, export credit agencies and private investors, while Class “D”, created in December 2012, is a category under which any person or entity can be allotted shares.

The Bank currently has 41 African countries as participating states.

The Annual General Meeting of Shareholders is held each year to take stock of the Bank's activities during the reporting year.

Obi Emekekwue

Afreximbank External Communications