Media Contact: Obi Emekekwue (oemekekwue@afreximbank.com; Tel. +202-2456-4238)
The Afreximbank Headquarters building in Heliopolis, Cairo
Cairo, 5 June 2013 – Two current African heads of state and a former President are among dignitaries expected to lead events at activities to mark the 20th anniversary of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which will take place in Addis Ababa from 19 to 21 June, according to the programme of events released by the Bank.
Afreximbank said in Cairo today that Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia will deliver the opening address at the celebratory event while President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire will deliver a keynote speech during a seminar focusing on the Diaspora as a resource for trade and economic development of Africa.
Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, will chair a special lecture being held to mark the anniversary.
The three heads of state will be joined by the Chairperson of the African Union, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Carlos Lopes, as well as a host of top African government officials, business leaders and key figures from various sectors across Africa and beyond.
Activities planned for the celebrations include two all-day seminars; an investment forum; a 20th anniversary lecture; a special video presentation; and the launch of a book chronicling the 20 years of the Bank.
Dr. Dlamini-Zuma and Mr. Lopes will deliver keynote addresses at one of the seminars, on “Industry clusters and supply chains as prerequisites for diversification and sustainable exports in Africa”, while the second, on “The lost head cornerstone – The Diaspora as a resource for trade and economic development in Africa”, will feature keynote addresses by President Ouattara and Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Donald Kaberuka, President of African Development Bank, will deliver the opening statement at the second seminar.
The 20th anniversary lecture, which will be delivered by Christopher Edordu, founding President of Afreximbank, will be a presentation on the topic, “Afreximbank – History, founding philosophy, objectives and establishment challenges, achievements and future prospects.”
One of the highlights of the celebration will be the investment forum, which will focus on investment opportunities in Ethiopia, and will be held under the theme, “Creating well-functioning industry clusters/supply chains to support development of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.”
Also expected to speak during the celebrations are Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD; the Minister of Trade and Industry of Ethiopia; Aliko Dangote, the head of the Dangote Group of companies; Hassan Kamel Hassan, Managing Director of the Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries; Andrew Yakubu, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; and Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration, Infrastructure, Natural Resources Management and Trade Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa;
Fatima Haram Acyl, the African Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry; Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade of Nigeria; Habib Ben Yayhya, Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union; Sindiso Ndema Ngwenya, Secretary-General of COMESA; Louis Sylvain-Goma, General-Secretary of the Economic Community of Central African States; Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, President of the ECOWAS Commission; and Patrick Dlamini, CEO of Development Bank of South Africa, are among others listed to address the celebrations.
The Agreement establishing the African Export-Import Bank was signed in May 1993 by the founding shareholders, when the Constituent Assembly for the establishment met in Abidjan, creating the institution with a starting authorised capital of USD 750 million.
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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