Media Contact: Obi Emekekwue (oemekekwue@afreximbank.com; Tel. +202-2456-4238)
Dr. George Elombi, Chairman, Afreximbank@20 Organizing Committee, answers questions from staff while President Jean-Louis Ekra (centre) and Vice-President Denys Denya look on.
Cairo, 17 April 2013 – The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will hold a series of activities in Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 June to mark the 20th anniversary of its establishment, Bank President Jean-Louis Ekra, announced in Cairo yesterday.
At a ceremony at the Afreximbank Headquarters to kick off the 20th anniversary celebrations and to launch a specially designed logo and slogan, Mr. Ekra said that the anniversary was being organized to tie in with the 50th anniversary of the African Union, which is also taking place this year.
In addition, because Afreximbank’s Annual General Meeting for 2013 would take place in Addis Ababa in June, that Ethiopian capital was the optimal location for the Bank to celebrate its anniversary.
Noting that 20 years in the life of an organization was a very important milestone, the President said, “Since the establishment of Afreximbank in 1993, we have grown from a tiny entity with only a handful of pioneer staff members to an internationally respected organization, delivering multi-billion-dollar deals in support of African trade and development. This achievement has only been possible because of the dedication and commitment of the staff — staff members who worked under very difficult, and sometimes inhospitable, conditions to build this institution, and those people who had the foresight to set up the Bank in the first place”.
Dr. George Elombi, Afreximbank Executive Secretary and Chairman of the organizing committee for the anniversary, said that the activities planned for the celebrations included a series of seminars focusing on African trade and finance issues, including one that would deal with the Diaspora as a resource for trade and economic development in Africa.
There would also be an investment forum, continued Dr. Elombi, in addition to the launch of a book documenting the process leading up to the creation of the Bank, the history of the Bank, its achievements and its future outlook. Other highlights of the anniversary would include activities by the Bank in support some charitable organizations and several functions aimed at fostering staff engagement.
Political leaders, government functionaries, captains of industry and others who played key roles in the establishment of the Bank or are actively involved in African trade finance and development are expected to attend the celebrations.
The Afreximbank at 20 anniversary logo and slogan.
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About Afreximbank:
The African Export Import Bank was established in October 1993 by African governments, African private and institutional investors, and non-African investors to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. Its two basic constitutive documents are the Establishment Agreement, which gives it the status of an international organization, and the Charter, which governs its corporate structure and operations. AFREXIMBANK is headquartered in Cairo. For more information, visit: www.afreximbank.com