- The award, one of the nation’s highest honours for international figures, recognised Prof. Oramah’s dedication, pivotal role, and strategic leadership in expanding trade and investment relations between the Member States of Afreximbank and Barbados.
- Dr. Kevin Greenidge, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados and longtime Afreximbank board member, was equally honoured with the Order of Freedom of Barbados. His recognition reflects his leadership in Barbadian economic reform, particularly through the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme.
Bridgetown, Barbados, December 4, 2025 – Professor Benedict Oramah, GCON, former President and Chairman of the Board of Directors at African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has been conferred with the “Honorary Order of the Freedom of Barbados”. The award, one of the nation’s highest honours for international figures, recognised Prof. Oramah’s dedication, pivotal role, and strategic leadership in expanding trade and investment relations between the Member States of Afreximbank and Barbados.
The prestigious award highlights Afreximbank and Prof. Oramah’s transformative efforts to re-establish and deepen economic and cultural ties between Africa and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as a key pillar of the Global Africa strategy that views the African Diaspora as the continent’s sixth region, with 13 CARICOM member states already having acceded to the Bank’s establishment agreeement to date.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Afreximbank under the leadership of Prof Oramah provided a crucial US$2 billion facility to support the pooled procurement of vaccines for both the African Union and CARICOM countries. This ensured timely and affordable vaccine access to save lives and support economic recovery across both Africa and the Caribbean.
To strengthen commercial, economic, and cultural ties between Africa and the Caribbean, the Bank, under Prof. Oramah’s leadership, introduced the annual AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) in 2022, which has held its fourth edition in Grenada this year and closed over USD 300 million in investment and trade deals.
Dr. Kevin Greenidge, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados and longtime Afreximbank board member, also received the Order of Freedom of Barbados. His recognition reflects his leadership in Barbadian economic reform, particularly through the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme. As a board member of the Bank, Dr. Greenidge has played a pivotal role in advancing productive relations and cooperation between Barbados and Afreximbank and to a big extension the African continent.
The Bank is in the process of expanding its CARICOM office, established in 2023, by building the Barbados Afreximbank Africa Trade Centre (B-AATC), a $180 million mixed-use development designed as a one-stop business hub, which aims to facilitate trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean by offering integrated trade services, trade finance, critical market data, and networking opportunities. It will act as a gateway for Afri-Caribbean business collaboration and economic growth.
Under Prof. Oramah’s leadership, Afreximbank accelerated a range of initiatives to boost South-South trade and investment, including an initial US$1.5 billion in funding for eligible CARICOM Participating States, with a commitment to increase this to US$3 billion. This financing is targeted at critical sectors like trade-enabling infrastructure, tourism, and support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Through the CARICOM Payment and Settlement System (CAPSS), which will integrate with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), Afreximbank has been allowing for seamless, local-currency cross-border transactions and accelerating the integration of the two regions’ financial systems.
The award was presented during the 2025 Independence Day Parade and National Awards Ceremony on November 30, 2025, at the historic Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
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 (Baa1), 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
Follow us on X |Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram
Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
Email: [email protected]
