Bali, Indonesia, 16 Oct. 2018: A delegation of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) led by the President, Prof. Benedict Oramah, on Wednesday in Bali, Indonesia, held talks with a Zimbabwean Government team led by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Prof. Mthuli Ncube, and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Dr. John Mangudya, to discuss Afreximbank’s support to Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the 2018 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings, highlighted the Bank’s various facilities currently operational in Zimbabwe.
They discussed the modality of the $500-million Nostro stabilization facility which Zimbabwe had requested from the Bank and agreed on the processes toward concluding that transaction by the end of October 2018.
The ultimate goal of the facility is to secure payments for essential imports and to promote exports, diaspora remittances and deposit of foreign currency. It is envisaged that this will restore foreign currency liquidity and stability in the market.
President Oramah took advantage of the meeting to brief the minister about the Intra-African Trade Fair being organised by the Bank in December and the Babacar Ndiaye Lecture which Afreximbank it would host in Bali on 13 October.
Also on Wednesday, President Oramah received Dr. Yani Younoussa, Governor of the Central Bank of Comoros, telling him that Afreximbank was committed to supporting the economy of Comoros and saying that the Bank was ready to look at financing sectors of the economy that could support the country’s blue economy, including ports and fish processing.
He said that the Bank was keen to look at ways of providing facilities to the government to enable it to execute its development projects.
Dr. Younoussa told the President that Comoros was making progress on its ratification of the Bank’s Establishment Agreement.
The Afreximbank delegation also met with a delegation from Cote d’Ivoire led by Adama Kone, the Minister of Economy and Finance. The President briefed the Minister on the work of Afreximbank in Cote d’Ivoire, including the development of industrials parks and provision of lines of credit to Ivorian banks, in addition to other forms of support to the economy.
He commended the Ivorian Government for its support in the preparations for the Intra-African Trade Fair, saying that 18 countries had already taken up country pavilions at the fair.
The Minister was joined by Jeanne Guehe, the Ivorian Ambassador to Australia, and several other Ivorian officials.
The meetings were part of a series of meetings with political, economic and business leaders lined up for the Afreximbank delegation during the 2018 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings which was taking place in Bali from 8 to 14 October.
Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah (5th right) and Prof. Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe, (6th right), in group photo with some of the meeting participants, including Afreximbank Executive Vice Presidents Dr. George Elombi (1st right); Denys Denya (7th right) and Amr Kamel (2ndleft); as well as Dr. John Mangudya, Governor, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (3rd left).
Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah (right) in handshake with Dr. Yani Younoussa, Governor of the Central Bank of Comoros, after the meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah (6th right) and Dr. Yani Younoussa, Governor of the Central Bank of Comoros (5th right), in group photo with some of the meeting participants, including Afreximbank Executive Vice President Amr Kamel (3rd right).
Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah (left) with Adama Kone, Minister of Economy Finance of Cote d’Ivoire, after the meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
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Media Contact: Obi Emekekwue (oemekekwue@afreximbank.com; Tel. +202-2456-4238)
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About Afreximbank: The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is the foremost pan-African multilateral financial institution devoted to financing and promoting intra- and extra-African trade. The Bank was established in October 1993 by African governments, African private and institutional investors, and non-African investors. 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, it has approved about $60 billion in credit facilities for African businesses, including about $8.5 billion in 2017. Afreximbank had total assets of $11.9 billion as at 31 December 2017 and is rated BBB+ (GCR), Baa1 (Moody’s), and BBB- (Fitch). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo. For more information, visit: www.afreximbank.com