Afreximbank delegation visits Gov. El-Rufai

Afreximbank President Dr. Benedict Oramah (right) in discussion with Gov. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Nigeria, during the courtesy call in Abuja.

Dr. Benedict Oramah, President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has met with Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State of Nigeria, and some senior officials from the state for discussions on how the Bank can support the state’s economic development.

The meeting, which took place in Abuja on 8 June when the President led an Afreximbank delegation on a courtesy call on Gov. El-Rufai, discussed how the Bank could help revive cotton exports from Kaduna State in value added form, with Afreximbank agreeing to send a technical team to conduct a comprehensive study of the cotton value chain in the state.

The study was expected to allow for the development of a robust private sector driven solution for value addition and to facilitate export of textile products from Kaduna State, said President Oramah. Afreximbank would support the initiative under its industrialisation and export development strategy.

The president took the opportunity of the visit to invite Gov. El-Rufai to the Intra-African Trade Fair being organised by Afreximbank in Cairo from 11 to 17 December to promote trade among African countries.

The trade fair, being promoted in collaboration with the African Union and the Egyptian government, will be the continent’s single largest trade fair and the first of its kind. It will feature a seven-day trade show where businesses would showcase their capital goods and service offerings to a large market, including private sector corporates and government institutions from up to 55 African countries.

The governor expressed enthusiasm about the textile project, thanking Afreximbank for the work it was already doing with a Turkish company to revive the textile sector in Kaduna state and for its proposal to develop a comprehensive textile export plan for the state.

He pledged that Kaduna State, as a major trade fair organiser in Nigeria, would participate in the Intra-African Trade Fair in coordination with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.

Accompanying President Oramah on the Afreximbank delegation were Rene Awambeng, Global Head, Client Relations; Vitalis Uzor Ekene, Special Assistant to the President on Banking and Strategy; Abdoulaye Kone, Regional Chief Operating Officer, Anglophone West Africa (AWAF) Regional Office; Remigius Nwachukwu of AWAF; Uju Okafor of AWAF; Oluranti Doherty of the Project and Export Development Finance Department; Mohammed Salihu of the Client Relations Department; and Tekome Okoh of AWAF.

Afreximbank President Dr. Benedict Oramah (5^th right) and Gov. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Nigeria, (6^th right) in group photo with the Kaduna State and Afreximbank teams during the courtesy call in Abuja.