Members of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), led by Bank President and Board Chairman Dr. Benedict Oramah, yesterday inspected the site for the construction of the Bank’s permanent Regional Office for Southern Africa.
The land, measuring 12,000 square metres and located in Harare’s business district, was donated to the Bank by the Government of Zimbabwe.
The delegation was joined by the Bank’s three executive vice presidents – Denys Denya, Finance, Administration and Banking Services; Dr. George Elombi, Governance, Legal and Corporate Services; and Amr Kamel, Business Development and Corporate Banking – as well as by other Bank staff in Harare for the 114th Meeting of the Board of Directors and members of staff of the Southern Africa Regional Office.
The new permanent Regional Office for Southern Africa is expected to be the first where the Bank will implement a new concept under which it is to transform its buildings into iconic business complexes with integrated one-stop trade services shop. The complexes are to be branded “Afreximbank – Africa Trade Centres and would create mini business parks for African trade.
They would offer such facilities as a large auditorium conference centre; a trade information centre; corporate rental office space for trade promoting bodies, export credit agencies, commercial banks, etc.; a small business innovation and incubation hub; upmarket furnished offices; high end shops and restaurants; and public facilities, including gymnasium, food court, etc.
The land title for the new site was presented to President Oramah during a ceremony held later in the evening, where the presentation was performed by Saviour Kasukuwere, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.
Witnessing the ceremony was Patrick Chinamasa, Minister of Finance, and several other ministers; Bernard Manyenyeni, Mayor of Harare; Dr. John Mangudya, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe; and a host of other dignitaries from the Zimbabwean public and private sectors.
The various events took place on the sidelines of the 114th Meeting of the Board of Directors which ended in Harare yesterday.
View of the land allocated to Afreximbank by the Government of Zimbabwe for construction of the Bank’s permanent Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare.