Let Us Treat Intra-African Trade Not As a Goal, But As a Strategic Pathway To Growth~ President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a powerful closing address at the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, praised Afreximbank for its transformative role in reshaping Africa’s trade landscape and fostering deeper economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean. The President commended the bank’s unwavering commitment to African-led development and its vision for a unified economic future.

President Tinubu paid special tribute to Prof. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, acknowledging his decade-long leadership and the bank’s emergence as a $50 billion institution advancing development across sectors such as energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and industrialization. In a historic moment of national pride, President Tinubu conferred on Prof. Oramah one of Nigeria’s highest national honours, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), in recognition of his service to the nation, the continent, and the global African diaspora.

Addressing delegates from across Africa and the diaspora, President Tinubu called on the continent to view intra-African trade not merely as a goal but as a strategic pathway to job creation, industrial growth, and inclusive prosperity. He emphasized the need to empower Africa’s youth, women, and entrepreneurs as both beneficiaries and architects of a new African century. Recalling the origins of Afreximbank as a product of Africa’s resolve to shape its own destiny, he highlighted the bank’s growing influence in enabling sovereign solutions to African challenges.

The President spotlighted several key initiatives supported by Afreximbank, including the African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja, a 500-bed hospital designed to reduce medical tourism and strengthen Africa’s healthcare systems. He also celebrated Nigeria’s early adoption of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), a groundbreaking platform enabling efficient cross-border trade in local currencies.

President Tinubu connected the bank’s regional impact to Nigeria’s broader reform agenda in credit access, education financing, food security, and infrastructure development. He urged African nations to embrace bold investments in people, innovation, and institutions to secure the continent’s future. Closing the session, he reiterated his administration’s commitment to regional integration and Africa’s collective rise.

The 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings concluded with renewed calls for African unity, self-reliance, and visionary leadership. With Prof. Oramah’s recognition and President Tinubu’s impassioned call to action, the event marked a defining moment in Africa’s journey toward economic sovereignty and global influence.