Cairo, 02 Oct. 2013 – The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) will support investors who come into Africa to contribute to the continent’s economic development by sharing the investment risks they face, Jean-Louis Ekra, President the Bank, has said.
In a presentation on 26 September during the Forum Africa 2013 investment gathering in Montreal, Canada, Mr. Ekra said that Afreximbank would share such risks by working with the investors to co-finance viable trade and project ventures on the continent.
The Bank would also be able to provide its investment, reimbursement and country risk guarantee facilities to such investors and could, in addition, offer its investment banking and advisory/trade information services to meet their needs, he stated.
Mr. Ekra, therefore, invited international investors, especially Canadian entrepreneurs and corporate entities, to invest in Africa, adding, “Afreximbank intends to continue to work with African governments and their international development partners as well as African and non-African private sector entities and regional development banks to support trade and economic development in the continent.”
Other speakers at the Forum included former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo; the Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire, Daniel Kablan Duncan; the Assistant United States Trade Representative for Africa, Ms. Florizelle Liser; the former President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Babacar Ndiaye; and the President of the African Business RoundTable, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
Forum Africa 2013, which had the theme, Emerging Africa: Investments and Business Opportunities, was organized by Afrique Expansion and drew participants from across Africa and Canada. Its objective was to showcase the investment opportunities in Africa.
——–
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. Since 1994, the Bank has approved more than $25 billion in credit facilities in support of African trade, including $3.71 billion in 2012. Afreximbank is headquartered in Cairo. For more information, visit: www.afreximbank.com