The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) kicked off a leadership transition in Cairo with a day of tributes marking the conclusion of Professor Benedict Oramah’s 10-year tenure as president and chairman of the Board of Directors.
The event brought together dignitaries from across the continent including former heads of state Macky Sall (Senegal) and Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger) and Nigerian business tycoon Aliko Dangote.
Opening the Farewell Conference Dr. George Elombi, Afreximbank executive vice president and president-designate, delivered a stirring introduction, paying tribute to his predecessor’s visionary leadership “whose 32 years of service have strengthened Afreximbank’s foundations and advanced Africa’s trade integration.”
“President Oramah has turned the bank into Africa’s ‘Development Supermarket’ – an institution with a suite of solutions for our challenges with development. He has also turned decades and centuries old political wishes into tangible gains for ALL Africans”.
President Oramah has turned the Afreximbank into Africa’s ‘Development Supermarket’ – Dr. Elombi
Afreximbank’s founding President, Christopher Edordu, reflected on the Bank’s early vision and the remarkable journey of Oramah from inception. “Not many dare to put impact on a feasibility study,” he said. “Professor Oramah did. He placed impact at the core of everything he set out to do and what we see today is the full manifestation of that vision.”
Another former Afreximbank president, Jean-Louis Ekra, recalled the statement he made when handing over to Oramah in 2015. “I believe that Professor Oramah is the right man for the bank at this time; and Afreximbank is certainly the right institution to confront Africa’s trade finance challenges. Ten years later, I am profoundly moved to witness that Professor Oramah has not only fulfilled that mandate, but has far surpassed every expectation.”
Also addressing the farewell conference was Mrs. Chinelo Oramah, who recounted how moving to Cairo as a newlywed became a journey of transformation – one that shaped not only their lives but also Africa’s story of progress through Afreximbank. She spoke movingly about the Bank’s unwavering humanity, recalling how Afreximbank stood by her family during her husband’s illness. “The Bank’s care and support saved his life. That kind of compassion transcends employment – it is love, it is family, it is humanity at its finest.”
Reflecting on his 31 years at Afreximbank. Oramah declared: “Africa’s journey to self-reliance is unstoppable – because we dared to dream and act together.”
“From the day I joined Afreximbank as a young pioneer in 1994, I knew this was more than a job – it was a calling. A calling to turn generations of African aspirations into reality. When I became President in 2015, I promised that we would be bold – that Afreximbank would no longer just finance trade, but build the foundations that make trade possible.
“Together, we did just that.
– We helped make the AfCFTA a living reality.
– We built systems like PAPSS and the Adjustment Fund that now connect African economies.
– We launched the Intra-African Trade Fair and digital platforms like the Africa Trade Gateway.
– We supported industries, from the Dangote Refinery to industrial parks and medical excellence centres across the continent.
– We stood by Africa in crisis – mobilising over $10 billion during COVID-19 to help our nations recover and trade again.
– We grew Afreximbank’s balance sheet nearly eightfold, proving that Africa can build institutions as strong and visionary as any in the world.
“This journey has never been about me – it has always been about us, about Africa’s courage to believe in itself. “We fought on all fronts – and today, we can point to a continent rising on its own terms. The dream lives on.
“As I hand over to Dr. George Elombi, I do so with complete confidence. The future of Afreximbank, and of Africa, shines even brighter. The dream continues – and Africa’s best days are still ahead.”
Closing the ceremony, the chairperson of the Transition Committee and Afreximbank managing director for human resources, Stephen Tio Kauma, described Oramah as a visionary who transformed Afreximbank into an institution synonymous with African pride, resilience, and innovation.
“It has been an amazing day in honour of a man – and a giant, literally and figuratively.”
Compilation from reporting by Martin Kevin in Cairo and social media posts by @Afreximbank.
