Management Team

Afreximbank’s management team oversees its full range of functions. These include Banking Operations, Credit, Administration, Human Resources, Finance, Treasury, Legal Services, Research and Planning, Strategy and International cooperation, Trade finance, Project and Export Development Finance, Risk Management, Executive Secretariat, External Communications, Corporate Finance and Advisory Services, Syndications and Specialized Finance, Information Technology, Compliance and the office of the President and Executive Vice Presidents.

The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank and is empowered to appoint management, professional and non-professional support staff to assist him in the day-to-day management of the Bank.

Prof. Benedict O. Oramah,
President

Prof. Benedict Oramah holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics obtained in 1991 and has been decorated as a Professor of International Trade and Finance by Adeleke University, one of Nigeria’s foremost private universities in 2018. Prof. Oramah worked as the Assistant Manager, Research, for the Nigerian Export-Import Bank from 1992 to 1994 before joining the African Export-Import Bank as Chief Analyst in 1994, rising to the position of Senior Director, Planning and Business Development Department, in 2007. He was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President of the Bank in October 2008, a position he held until his appointment as President in June 2015 during the 22nd Annual General meeting in Lusaka, Zambia and he was inaugurated in September 2015.

Prof. Oramah has written over 30 articles on a range of African economic and trade related matters, many of which have been published in leading international journals.

Mr. Denys Denya,
Senior Executive Vice President – Finance, Administration and Banking Services

Mr. Denya holds Bachelor of Accountancy and MBA degrees from the University of Zimbabwe. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe and of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. Mr Denya worked with Flexible Packaging Zimbabwe Limited as Group Finance Manager from 1991 to 1993 and then moved to TA Holdings as Financial Executive/Company Secretary from 1994 to 1996. He then moved to First Merchant Bank of Zimbabwe as Relationship Manager until 1997, when he became Finance Director and Managing Director, a position he held until 2006. He joined Nedbank Limited as Divisional Managing Director in charge of five Southern African countries from 2006 until April 2010, when he joined the Bank.

Dr. George Elombi,
Executive Vice President – Corporate Governance and Legal Services

Dr. George Elombi holds an LLM degree and a PhD Degree in Law (International Commercial Arbitration) from the University of London. He worked as a Lecturer on a full time basis with the University of Hull, United Kingdom, before he joined the African Export-Import Bank as Legal Officer in October 1996. He was appointed to the position of Deputy Director, Legal Services in 2008, and to the position of Executive Secretary and Head of Legal Services in January 2009. In April 2015, he was appointed Executive Vice President (Corporate Governance and Legal Services), while also still remaining as the Executive Secretary.

Mrs. Kanayo Awani,
Executive Vice-President, Intra-African Trade Bank

Ms. Kanayo Awani holds a BSc degree in Estate Management from the University of Nigeria and a Master of Public Administration degree in Public Policy & Management, majoring in International Trade and Finance, from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. Mrs Awani worked for Citigroup Nigeria for the 17 years in various functions, including Structured Trade Finance and Relationship Management. Her last position before she left Citigroup to join the African Export-Import Bank was the Head of Industrial and Commercial Corporates in Nigeria. Prior to Citigroup, she worked as Collateral Officer for the Nigerian Agricultural & Cooperative Bank Ltd for one year.

She joined the Bank in April 2009 to head the newly created Trade Finance and Branches department, in June 2016 she was appointed as Managing Director of the Intra-African Trade Initiative and in June 2022, she was appointed as Executive Vice-President, Intra-African Trade Bank.

Mr. Haytham El Maayergi,
Executive Vice-President, Global Trade Bank

Mr. Haytham El Maayergi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering (Ain Shams University, Egypt 1992) and an MBA in International Business and Marketing (American University in Cairo, 1999). His current position is Assistant Managing Director (Deputy to Vice Chairman & Managing Director) and Group Chief Operating and Transformation Officer of Arab African International Bank since 2020. Currently, he is also the Chairman of Sandah Micro Finance Company, which is a JV between AAIB and German KFW initiated Sanad Fund. 
Mr. Haytham has +30 years of diverse experience 25 of which have been with regional and multinational banks including Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, and Societe Generale. He has managed different banking group departments across Global Transaction Banking/Trade Finance, Corporate Banking and FI, Retail Banking, Digital Factory, Operations and Technology. He has structured different trade finance and bi-lateral lending solutions, including Islamic structures, for MNCs and large local corporates and worked across different markets in Middle East & North Africa, with a focus on Egypt & Gulf Council Countries but also with exposure to Asia, Europe, and the Americas in multinational banks.

Mrs. Hayam Abou Arab,
Director, Credit Assessment

Mrs. Hayam Abou Arab  is the Director of the  Credit Assessment  Department . She  joined Afreximbank as Credit Officer on 1st of August 2007 and has been elevated in the Credit Assessment Department to her current role. She has  23 years of banking experience, and prior to joining the Bank, she  held various positions until becoming Section Head, Credit Department  at  National Société Générale Bank, Cairo . She holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, from ESLSCA University. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Cairo University, English Section.

Dr. Robert Tomusange,
Director & Global Head, Administration

Dr. Robert Tomusange is the Director & Global Head Administration of Afreximbank and was appointed in May 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) and Master of Business Administration degree from Makerere University Kampala, a Master of Development Finance degree from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa and a Doctor of Business Administration degree from Walden University, USA. Before joining the Bank, Dr. Tomusange worked as the Director, Finance and Administration for a US Government funded project of the John Hopkins University, USA, based in Dar el Salaam, Tanzania. Prior to that, he worked as the Africa Portfolio Manager and Southern Africa Project Officer for the Africa Management Services Company, a joint programme of the United Nations Development Program, the International Finance Corporation and the Africa Development Bank, stationed in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to this, Dr. Tomusange was based in Uganda where he worked for Malaria Consortium Africa as the Africa Operations Manager; Chemonics International “Strengthening the Competitiveness of Private Enterprise” US Government supported project as the Operations Manager; Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) as the Head of Administration, Finance and Human Resources, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported Africa Youth Alliance Project in Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda; and Johns Hopkins University Program for International Education in Reproductive Health (JHPIEGO) as the Financial and Administrative Manager. Dr. Tomusange has 20 years Administration Management experience with various international organizations operating across various international development sectors.

Mr. Stephen T. Kauma,
Director & Global Head, Human Resources

Mr. Stephen T Kauma holds a BA degree in Political Science from University of Makerere, Uganda; an MBA from the Makerere University Business School, Uganda and a Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Uganda Management Institute, Kampala. On graduation in July 1995, Mr. Kauma joined Alliance Air, a regional subsidiary of South African Airways in Kampala for five years in the Finance & Administration Department before he joined KPMG East Africa, based in Kampala, as a Business Advisor in the Business Advisory Services Department in 2000. In 2003, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in Uganda as a HR Advisor, rising to the position of Manager, Human Resource Services in 2006. In March 2007, he joined Lafarge Cement, the largest building materials company in the world, as Human Resource and Administration Manager for Uganda. Mr. Kauma joined the African Export-Import Bank in November 2008 as a Human Resource Officer and became Director (Human Resources) in February 2015.

Dr. Yemi Kale,
Managing Director & Group Chief Economist 

Dr. Yemi Kale is Group Chief Economist & Managing Director, Research & International Cooperation. He was Partner and the Chief Economist as well as Head of Research at KPMG West Africa. He has held significant roles such as the Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics. Dr. Kale has also worked as an equity analyst at Goldman Sachs and for several years, as a quantitative analyst at Merrill Lynch Financial Services from where he became Group Head of Research and Investment Strategy at Investment Banking and Trust Company Plc. (now Stanbic IBTC Bank plc).Dr Kale has held the prestigious position of Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance and subsequently, Technical Adviser to the Minister of National Planning before his appointment to Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2011, becoming the first chief executive of the NBS to be reappointed for a second term. He has served as the chairman of the National Consultative Committee on Statistics (NCCS) and a member of the Nigerian Economic Management Team (EMT) as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee, National Steering Committee on 2nd Peer Review of Nigeria, the Executive Committee of PARIS 21 of the OECD as well as various Presidential Standing Committees. He is also currently chairman of the Nigeria Country Office of Accountability Lab and a non- executive director on several other institutions and is also currently a member of the Next Bretton woods think tank group which is a convening forum for rising international economic policymakers, researchers and financial market leaders covering over 20 countries. He has written widely on fiscal and monetary policy, governance, finance and economic development in Africa. Dr. Yemi Kale hold B.Sc. in Economics (First class honors) from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. M.Sc. (with distinction) and Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government leadership in government programs. Fellow of the UK Royal Statistical Society, Fellow of the Nigerian Statistical Association & Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Administrators and Researchers of Nigeria, among others.

Dr. Sampawende Jules Tapsoba
Deputy Chief Economist & Director, Data Management & Model Development.

Dr. Sampawende Jules Tapsoba holds a PhD in International Economics and a Master’s degree in International Economics, Development Economics, and Project Management from the University of Auvergne, France. He also holds a Master’s degree in Management of Banking Activities from the Training Center of the Banking Association of Togo. Dr. Sampawende Jules Tapsoba has been working for the IMF since 2010. He was lead economist on Malawi and Rwanda, co-led the surveillance network of the IMF African department, and played a senior role in the IMF African Department Research Advisory Group. He was the IMF Resident Representative to Togo from 2017 to 2021, where he acted as a trusted advisor, capacity builder, and outreach developer. Prior to his tenure at the IMF, he held the following positions: Deputy Head of the Aid Unit at the French Treasury, Economist at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Economist at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Economist at the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), and Assistant Professor at the Clermont School of Economics. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for International Development Studies and Research (FERDI). His research interests include international finance, inclusive growth, and regional integration.

Mr. Elias Kagumya,
Chief Risk Officer

Mr. Kagumya holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance from Makerere University Business School, Uganda and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the same university. He is a Certified Risk Analyst and a member of the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA). Mr. Kagumya worked for Stanbic Bank in Uganda for eight years and held various positions including the Head of Risk, Regional Head of Operational Risk for Personal and Business Banking-Eastern Hub Standard Bank and Market Risk Analyst. Prior to that, he worked for six years with Centenary Rural Development Bank Ltd, Uganda where he held various positions as Senior Accountant and Bank Officer Trainee in the Bank. Mr. Kagumya joined the African Export-Import Bank as Director for Risk in September 2015.

Ms. Gwen Mwaba,
Director & Global Head, Trade Finance (Acting Director, Client Relations)

Ms. Mwaba holds a Master of Business Administration from Heriot-Watt University in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Applied Accounting from Oxford Brooks University also in the United Kingdom. Ms. Mwaba joined Afreximbank in June 2015 as Regional Manager for Anglophone West Africa and was appointed to Director Trade Finance in June 2016. Previously she worked with Stanbic Bank Zambia Ltd as Head, Vehicle and Asset Finance and as Head, Corporate Banking; Standard Bank of South Africa as Head of Corporate Banking; African Banking Corporation as Corporate Banking Manager.

Mrs. Anne Ezeh,
Director, Communications & Events

Mrs. Anne Ezeh is the Director of Communications & Events and was appointed in June 2023. She holds a master’s degree of Communications, Media & Public Relations from the University of Leicester, UK and a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages from the University of Benin, Nigeria. Previously, Mrs. Anne Ezeh held several positions at AFP, Schneider Electric and GE. Most recently she was Global Internal Communications Director at GE Gas Power, and Head of Communications & Public Relations at GE Africa, where she supported the business across 18 countries and 4 industries. She also worked as strategic partner to the African region Presidents and business leadership teams across the horizontal portfolio in the energy – gas power, steam power, renewable energy & grid solutions, and healthcare & aviation sectors.  In addition to her communications portfolio, Mrs. Anne Ezeh also served as the Chief Diversity Officer for Europe, Middle East & Africa at GE Gas Power.

Mr. Constantin von Moltke
Director, Syndications & Agency

Mr. von Moltke has 20 years’ experience of working for both commercial banks and development finance institutions in the loan markets in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Prior to that he worked with the African Development Bank (AfDB) where he served as Head of Loan Syndication and Co-Financing in the Private Sector Department for 4 years. Prior to his AfDB experience, he was the Global Head of the Project and Commodity Finance Loan Syndication team at UniCredit Group from 2002 to 2012 and also served as Manager in the European Energy and Utilities project and acquisition finance team at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein from 1996 to 2001. In these capacities, Mr. von Moltke was responsible for advising, arranging and syndicating project / acquisition financings and structured commodity financings in the energy, infrastructure, natural resources and industries sectors.
Mr. von Moltke started his career at the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO) in Geneva. He graduated from Fribourg University, Switzerland and holds a master’s degree in economics and political science.

Mr. Kwabena Ayirebi,
Director, Banking Operations

Mr. Kwabena Ayirebi joined the African Export-Import Bank in September 2017 as Director Banking Operations. Mr Ayirebi holds a Master of Sciences in Financial Engineering and Quantitative Analysis from the University of Reading, UK. He also holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Civil Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology and a Bachelor of Sciences in Financial Services and Associateship from the University of Manchester, Institute of Financial Services.
For the eight years prior to joining the Bank, Mr Ayirebi held various positions at HSBC, MENA such as Senior Executive, Global Banking & Commercial Banking, Managing Director, Regional Head of Trade & Receivables Finance, Global Head of Business Management, Trade & Receivables Finance, and Senior Manager, Group Strategy & Planning. Prior to that, Mr Ayirebi worked as Head, Trade Sales and Client Management at SAAB, Saudi Arabia. He also occupied the position of Vice President, Decision Analytics at HSBC Asia Pacific for three years, and Vice President, Trade Services for two years. Mr Ayirebi started his career as Manager Credit MIS and Reporting at Standard Chartered Bank, Ghana.

Mr. Chandi Mwenebungu,
Director, Treasury & Markets

Mr. Chandi Mwenebungu holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance. He is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (FCCA), a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI) and an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT). He previously worked as Head of Treasury and Investments for International Insurance Company of Hannover (Interhannover) in London and Cigna International (Europe) in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Prior to his relocation to the United Kingdom, he worked for Nedbank Malawi Limited as Treasury Manager. Mr. Mwenebungu joined Afreximbank in October 2013 as Senior Manager, Treasury, and was appointed Director, Treasury, in March 2018.

Mr. Abel Azuwueze Osuji,
Director, Internal Audit

Mr. Abel Azuwueze Osuji received a Master of Science degree in Economics from Enugu State University of Technology, Nigeria, in 2005, and an MBA from University of Lagos in 2000. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, received in 1992.
Mr. Osuji was elected Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 2013 and holds a Certified Risk Analyst certification which he received from the International Academy of Business and Financial Management in 2013.
Prior to joining the Bank, he held various positions at Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc, Nigeria) and Ernst & Young, Nigeria. Mr. Osuji joined the Bank in October 2010 as Head of Internal Audit.

Mr. Olaleye Babatunde,
Director, Information Technology

Mr. Babatunde received an MBA from Lagos Business School in 2004. He also earned an M.Sc. in Computer Science from University of Lagos in 1998 and a B.Sc. in Computer Science, from the University of Ibadan in 1995.
His executive education is wide and varied and included business leadership training at IESE Business School, Spain and the Senior Leadership Programme at Standard Bank’s Global Leadership Centre in South Africa.
Prior joining Afreximbank, Mr. Babatunde was the the Chief Information Officer/Deputy General Manager at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Nigeria.
Mr. Babatunde joined Afreximbank in February 2014 as Head of Information Technology and became Director, Information Technology, in March 2019.

Mr. Idrissa Diop
Director, Compliance

Mr. Idrissa Diop came to Afreximbank in 2019 from Ecobank Transnational Inc. where he was Group Head of Compliance, after joining that institution in June 2011. He has 20 years’ experience from various European financial institutions and Ecobank Group, having worked for 10 years in Senior Compliance positions in Luxembourg, including at Schroders Investment Managers Luxembourg, Amundi Luxembourg (Credit Agricole Group) and Societe Generale Bank & Trust Luxembourg.
Mr. Diop received his training in France and holds a Master of Finance from Panthéon-Sorbonne University; a postgraduate degree in Financial Strategies from University of Cergy Pontoise; a Master of Internal Audit from René Descartes University, Paris V; and a diploma in Islamic Finance from University of Strasbourg. He is a member of the SWIFT Board Compliance Advisory Committee which advises SWIFT on tackling and setting standards against financial crimes and money laundering and terrorism financing risks.

Mr. Gerald Chihota,
Director, Board Secretariat

Mr. Gerald Chihota is the Head of the Board Secretariat Unit. Mr. Chihota holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Hons from the University of Zimbabwe, a Master’s in International Economic Law (University of Warwick, UK) and a diploma in Banking (Zimbabwe Institute of Bankers). He is also a registered legal practitioner, conveyancer, notary public and administrator of estates in Zimbabwe. Mr. Chihota joined the African Export-Import Bank in December 2009 as Manager, Legal Services, and was appointed Senior Manager, Board Secretariat, in July 2016. He started his working career as a lawyer working with Kantor & Immerman Legal Practitioners in Zimbabwe before joining the financial services industry where he worked with several banks in Zimbabwe holding various roles the last of which was Southern Africa Regional Head (Legal and Company Secretarial) for Barclays Bank.

Mr. Kofi Asumadu,
Director, Guarantee & Specialised Finance

Mr. Kofi Asumadu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from University of Cape Coast, Ghana; a Master of Science in Corporate Management & Finance from Université Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France, and a CFA Level 2 from CFA Institute. He has 26 years of banking experience. Prior to joining the African Export-Import Bank, he held various positions at Ghana Commercial Bank Plc. Mr. Asumadu joined the Bank in November 2008 as Manager, Special Funding Unit.

Mr. Francis Esoh,
Head, Credit Quality Assurance

Mr. Esoh holds a Master of Sciences in Economics (Money & Banking) from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He also holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Economics (Industrial Economics) from the University of Yaoundé, Cameroon.  Prior to joining Afreximbank in September 2017, Mr. Esoh held various roles at Standard Chartered Bank, including Africa Regional Head of GSAM (Group Special Assets Management) based in Dubai then Johannesburg; Area Head of GSAM for Southern Africa, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, based in Johannesburg; Country Head of GSAM for Cameroon, based in Douala; Branch Manager, SCB Cameroon and Credit Manager, SCB Cameroon. Mr. Esoh started his career as a Junior Economist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Mr. Mhamed Laraqui Houssaini,
Head, Equity Mobilisation & Investor Relations

Mr. Mhamed Laraqui Houssaini holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), Paris.
Prior to joining the African Export-Import Bank in March 2018, Mr. Mhamed Laraqui Houssaini was Senior Vice President at Jefferies International Limited, Zurich. Prior to that and for three years, Mhamed worked as Senior Vice President/Branch Manager at the same organisation, in its Paris Office. Mhamed also worked as Managing Director at Bears Stearns International Limited in London for seven years. He has worked as Global Equities Sales Trading at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, Paris, and French Equities Sales Trading at Société Générale Securities, Paris for five years.

Ms. Oluranti Doherty,
Director, Export Development

Ms. Oluranti Doherty holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of Leicester, UK, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. Ms. Doherty joined Afreximbank in February 2014 as Manager for Project and Export Development Finance and was appointed Head, Export Development, in March 2019.
She has over 17 years’ work experience that cuts across Project Finance, Structured Trade Finance, Credit Analysis and Structuring as well as Financial and Management Advisory Services. Prior to joining Afreximbank, Ms. Doherty worked with Wema Bank Plc, Nigeria, where she held various positions, including Head, Project and Concessionary Finance, and Manager, Advisory Services and Special Products. She also worked with Ashford and McGuire Consulting Nigeria; KPMG Professional Services Nigeria; Guaranty Trust Bank Plc., Nigeria; and NBM Bank Limited, Nigeria.

Mr. Zitto Alfayo
Head, Project Preparation

Mr. Alfayo holds an MBA from Strathmore Business School in Kenya and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Mr. Alfayo joined Afreximbank in June 2016 as a Manager in the Project & Asset Based Finance department. He was appointed Head, Project Preparation in January 2021. Prior to that he worked as an Investment Officer in the Project & Infrastructure Finance department of TDB Bank for 8 years covering the COMESA region. He commenced his career at BancABC in April 2003 as a Graduate Development Trainee rising through the ranks over a 5-year period to Manager, Investment Banking – Corporate Advisory based in Tanzania.

Mrs. Helen Brume,
Director, Projects & Asset Based Finance

Mrs. Brume holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, U.S.A and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. In 2019, she completed the Advanced Management and Leadership program (AMLP) at University of Oxford, Saiid Business School, and she is also a Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA).  Mrs. Helen Brume has served as Group Head & Deputy General Manager, for the Energy & Specialized Markets Department at Union Bank of Nigeria, Plc., Divisional Head, Power, Infrastructure and Project Finance at the United Bank for Africa Plc for 5.3 years and Head, Power & Infrastructure, Relationship Manager Multinationals at Ecobank.  Mrs. Brume also served for 3 years as the Vice President (Investment Banking) at Ecobank Capital (Formerly, Oceanic Capital Company Limited), Nigeria, as well as the Assistant Vice President (Corporate Finance & Investment Banking) of Citibank, Lagos, Nigeria. Mrs. Brume also held various senior roles in Investment Banking and Corporate Finance at Lehman Brothers, New York Equity Capital Markets Merrill Lynch, New York (Equity Derivatives Trading), and Prudential Financial, New Jersey

Mr. Hatem El Demerdash,
Director & Global Head, Advisory & Capital Markets

Mr. Hatem El Demerdash holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Maastricht School of Management, the Netherlands. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) registered with the California Board of Accountancy, USA. Additionally, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Business Administration from Helwan University, Egypt. Previously, Mr. Hatem El Demerdash advised and executed M&A, Debt, and Equity landmark transactions with a combined value of EGP 100 Billion during his 24 years of corporate finance and investment banking experience. Furthermore, he held the position of CEO & Managing Director at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Capital, where he successfully led the company turnaround starting in 2018. This effort resulted in outstanding achievements and internationally recognized deal closures in corporate finance, sukuk, and M&A business lines. Before that, he served as Assistant General Manager – Investment Banking at The National Bank of Egypt, where he led all DCM, ECM, PPP, and M&A NBE deals for government and public sector clients, as well as private sector ones. Throughout his career, he has also worked at Citibank N.A. and The Commercial International Bank (CIB) – Egypt.

Mr. Kudakwashe Matereke,
Regional Chief Operating Officer, East Africa

Mr. Kudakwashe Matereke joined Afreximbank in January 2011 as Trade Finance Manager with responsibility for business development, deal structuring and customer relationship management across different countries in East and North Africa. He was appointed to his current position of Regional Manager – East Africa in February 2015, with responsibilities for business development and customer relationship management across the East African region. Prior to joining the Bank, Kudakwashe held various positions for more than 13 years with different banking institutions. These included Senior Manager Structured Trade & Commodity Finance at Nedbank Limited, Johannesburg, with responsibility for supporting the bank’s African subsidiaries and operations outside South Africa; and Senior Trade Finance Officer at PTA Bank (now TDB Bank), responsible for deal structuring and management of customer relationships in the COMESA region. Kudakwashe holds a Bachelor of Commerce from National University of Science & Technology in Zimbabwe.

Mr. Eric Intong Monchu,
Regional Chief Operating Officer, Anglophone West Africa

Eric is a Corporate and Investment Banker with over 18 years’ experience and he the Regional Chief Operating Officer and Head of Mission for Anglophone West Africa (AWAF) based in Abuja, Nigeria. He joined Afreximbank in 2014 and before assuming the current position, Eric was responsible for Sovereigns, Financial Institutions and Corporates across Africa, in the Trade Finance Department. He was also the Core Banking Implementation Programme Lead, Regional Manager for Anglophone West Africa and Manager, Structured Trade Finance for West Africa.
Prior to joining Afreximbank, he was Vice President, Deputy Corporate Banking Head and Business Credit Officer at Citibank Cameroon responsible for Global and Local clients in Central and West Africa. Before joining Citibank, Eric held various senior positions at Union Bank of Cameroon including Corporate Bank Head, Head, Treasury and Risk Management, Branch Manager and Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Head.
Eric holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting and a Post Graduate Diploma in Risk and Logistics Management both from Rotterdam Business School, The Netherlands; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Buea, Cameroon. He is an Alumni of the Amsterdam Institute of Finance (AIF). He is Prince 2 and Agile Project Management certified (Foundation and Professional) and a regular speaker at several Trade Finance International Conferences.

Eric is the Chairman of the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA) African Regional Committee.

Mr. Humphrey Nwugo,
Regional Chief Operating Officer, Southern Africa

Mr. Nwugo joined Afreximbank in January 2010 as Manager, Banking Operation and rose to become Senior Manager, Syndications, before he was appointed Regional Chief Operating Officer in February 2019.
Mr. Nwugo’s previous experience includes stints at Intercontinental Bank Plc; Lagos, as Deputy Manager/Head, Financial Advisory, Corporate Finance Department, from 2007 to 2009, and at Zenith Bank Plc; Lagos, as Senior Assistant Manager, Real Estate Finance, Agriculture and Export Finance, Mortgage and Consumer Credit, from 2003 to 2007. He also worked as Assistant Banking Officer, Corporate Finance, at Citizens International Bank Limited, Lagos, from 2000 to 2003.
Mr. Nwugo received an MBA from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Calabar, Nigeria. He is a member of the Chartered Management Institute, United Kingdom, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He is also an Associate Chartered Accountant.

Mr. Jean Arsene Yerima,
Regional Chief Operating Officer, Francophone West Africa

Mr. Jean Arsene Yerima holds a Master of Finance and Organisations Management, KEDGE Business School — EuroMed (France), and HND Degree in Management, University of Douala Institute of Technologies.
He worked at Ecobank Cameroon SA, where he was the Head of Corporate Banking for Cameroon and CEMAC Cluster and Group CIB Sustainability Champion. He was responsible for managing and growing the Corporate Banking business in Cameroon and in the CEMAC region, as well as ensuring segment and product coverage. He was also managing various business lines including investment banking. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Jean Arsene Yerima held various positions at Standard Chartered Bank where he was the Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking (Cameroon with oversight on Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon) and Head of Global Subsidiaries and Head of Global Corporates (Cameroon).
Prior to that, Mr. Jean Arsene Yerima was the Relationship Manager Global Corporates at Standard Chartered Bank, where he was leading the Corporate Finance and Trade units.
Part of Mr. Jean Arsene Yerima’s professional experience, he was the Transaction Banking Sates Manager at Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon where he provided key clients with working capital and trade financing solutions (FMCG, Telecoms clients). Mr. Jean Arsene Yerima also worked as Consumer Sales Manager, Administration and Property Manager in the same Bank.

Mr. Ibrahim Bagarama,
Chief Regional Operating Officer, Central Africa

Mr. Ibrahim Bagarama holds a Master’s in business administration (MAE, – ex DESS) of the IAE of Poitiers (France),Master’s in financial management (Finance – Accounting) – University Hassan II of Casablanca (Morocco),Chevalier de l’ordre du merite de la République du Niger, and Officier de l’ordre du merite de la République du Congo.
He was the Chief Executive Officer at Ecobank Congo (Brazzaville) from August 2015 till May 2022, where he led the Bank’s initiatives in the areas of digital transformation. From November 2011 to July 2015, Mr. Ibrahim Bagarama held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Niger. In addition, Mr. Ibrahim Bagarama also represented Ecobank Transnational Incorporated at board level at Ecobank Central Africa, Ecobank Uganda and Ecobank DRC. Mr. Ibrahim Bagarama held the positions of Head of Department Risk Management (Ecobank Niger) and Head of Corporate Banking (Ecobank Guinea).