Abuja, Nigeria 08 July 2025: – Highlightingits determination to promote the adoption of an Africa Entity Identifier (AEI) by the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) the MANSA Digital Platform recently hosted a meeting for key stakeholders during the Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2025) held in Abuja, Nigeria in June 2025.
The side event sought to foster common understanding of the AEI, accordingly, chart a roadmap towards the adoption of the AEI for cross-border payments transparency.
Designed to replace fragmented identities with a single pan-African standard, the AEI will create a unified trusted layer for financial transactions across the continent. In addition, it will ensure global alignment, being ISO certified and corroborated to the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF).
The Africa Union, which endorsed the MANSA Digital Platform as Africa’s ‘go to’ Due Diligence Platform in July 2023, was tapped by Afreximbank in April 2024, to support the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) public consultations for the inclusion and special mention of the AEI in the amendment of the FATF’s Recommendation 16 on Transactions Transparency.
Accordingly, Afreximbank is, engaging the AU and the AfCFTA for the AEI’s adoption by pursuing the granting of an official status by AU and/or AfCFTA. The development of a framework to facilitate a common non-proprietary status for the platform, including AU member states as its custodians, with delegated administrative authority to Afreximbank, and exploring sustainability models for an open license.
Commenting at the breakfast meeting, Mr. Haytham ElMaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, at Afreximbank, reaffirmed Afreximbank’s commitment in helping shape Africa’s trade finance architecture.
“Our leadership in standardising entity identity will transform how Africa trades —making every transaction transparent, traceable, efficient and secure,” said Mr. ElMaayergi. “Embedding the AEI in FATF, AU and AfCFTA frameworks, will mobilise new investment and empower SMEs. This is not just compliance; it’s the cornerstone of Agenda 2063’s US$6 trillion vision.”
As part of the breakfast meeting, the Central Bank of Mozambique signed the MANSA Verifier Charter, with Mrs. Gertrudes Adolfo Macueve Tovela, Executive Director and Board Member, signing for the central bank, and Mr. ElMaayergi signing for Afreximbank.
Also taking part at the breakfast meeting were, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Dr. Patrick Ndzana Olomo, Acting Director for Economic Development, Integration, and Trade, Africa Union, Dr. Folarin Alayande, Board Director, Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), Ms. Hafsat Bakari, CEO, The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and Mrs. Maureen Mba, Head, MANSA Business.
Since 2020, MANSA has onboarded more than 35,000 entities, out of which 84 per cent are SMEs. These African entities are now translating into entities with AEI.
AAM2025, which is taking place at the Transcorp Hilton, will end on 28 June, 2025.
ENDS
About Afreximbank
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
For more information, visit: www.afreximbank.com
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