Ghana is to play host to the 30th annual meeting and anniversary of the African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank) in Accra.
The programme, the first to be held in Ghana and scheduled for June 18-22, 2023, is expected to be attended by more than 3,000 participants.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to open the three-day programme to be held at the Accra International Conference Centre under the theme; ‘Delivering the vision: Creating prosperity for Africans.’
Afreximbank is a Pan-African multilateral trade finance institution created in 1993 under the auspices of the African Development Bank to serve as the trade finance bank for Africa and currently has assets worth more than $27 billion.
Speaking at the launch in Accra over the weekend, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah, said Ghana was chosen to host the programme because of the role it had played in promoting Pan-Africanism.
“The choice of Ghana as host of Afreximbank’s 30th annual meeting and anniversary wasn’t a difficult one. First, Ghana is the birthplace of Pan-Africanism, and its pioneer and successive leaders have shown unwavering commitment to the Pan-African ideals. Also, the recent successful ‘Year of Return’ ushered in a new sense of belonging and oneness irrespective of geographic boundaries,” Prof. Oramah stated.
“The meeting will discuss challenges facing Africa and proffer solutions to address them. Specifically, the meeting will discuss issues on finance, energy, and transportation,” he stated.
Prof. Oramah said the choice of the overarching theme; ‘Delivering the vision: Building prosperity for Africans’ was informed by the critical role that Afreximbank had played over the last three decades in the promotion of economic integration in Africa through support for intra-African trade and investment, diversification of sources of growth and exports for inclusive growth and shared prosperity.
“At the same time, the event provides the opportunity to confront challenges and re-energise Africans towards the attainment of the Pan-African vision of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena,” Prof. Oramah stated.
He stated the 30th anniversary celebration will be the first gathering of Global Africa, where the African participating states would welcome the new participating States from the Caribbean.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, who chaired the programme said Ghana was proud to host the programme.
He said the Afreximbank had been a worthy partner supporting many development projects in the country, saying the bank provided $750 million to support Ghana when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.
Dr Adam expressed the hope that the annual meeting in Accra would come out with solutions to address the economic challenges facing Africa.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Addison, said Afreximbank had been one of the great partners of Ghana.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
