Global Africa is expanding the possibilities of cross-border collaboration
x The 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings - 2024
The countdown is on to the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings, where world leaders will come together to set a course for Africans on the continent and globally to achieve economic prosperity.
Finding opportunity from adversity
In response to rising geopolitical pressures, many global economies are redirecting their trading funnels away from international markets to prioritize domestic industries—disrupting the world’s economic order as a result.
While this may pose a challenge to some economies, Africa is finding opportunity from adversity with the help of financial institutions, like the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
As Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah, President of Afreximbank notes, Africa has long relied on global support to develop its economies. However, in a bid to own its destiny, it is finding new ways to forge unities both within and outside of the continent—with members of the Diaspora who make up Global Africa.
In this context, Afreximbank will bring the global African community together with Caribbean officials at the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM) and the third edition of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) in The Bahamas from 12-15 June 2024. Set to advance the conversation about AfriCaribbean collaboration, the event will aim to strengthen regional ties, trade links, and investment flows.
Putting Global Africa on the map
Global Africa stems from a growing perception of Africa as a continent void of geographic boundaries—where billions of Africans are united under a shared vision for prosperity, wherever they are in the world.
“We must rise as Global Africa, armed with our abundant human and natural resources, to pursue our own course to economic transformation,” explains Dr. Oramah.
“We must rise as Global Africa, armed with our abundant human and natural resources, to pursue our own course to economic transformation.”
Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah President of Afreximbank
This autonomy has been surfacing since the declaration of the Diaspora as the 6th region of Africa in 2008 and the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) over a decade later. Both milestones worked to establish a single African market for trade and investment and were successful in demonstrating the continent’s resilience amid a deglobalized economy.
Committed to continuing this legacy, Afreximbank has long championed the interconnectivity of global Africans and the world. From the holding of the first ACTIF to the establishment of its regional office in Barbados and deployment of the Africa Diaspora Center in New York, Afreximbank has played a vital role in raising the profile of Global Africa as a valuable trading partner—especially in the Caribbean.
Fulfilling a destiny for success
Afreximbank will advance the African narrative at the AAM, in collaboration with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas—a historic decision to host it in the Caribbean for the first time.
Across the four days, state leaders, policymakers, academics, and businesses from across the globe will meet in the Bahamas for a series of seminars and plenaries, intent on building the strategic connections needed to advance positive global action.
“There is a hugely positive outlook for many African and Caribbean countries, cementing closer links between the two regions to accelerate growth and prosperity.”
Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah President of Afreximbank
Under the theme, ‘Owning Our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on the Platform of Global Africa,’ the AAM and ensuing ACTIF will seek to tackle the global challenges and policy issues affecting African and Caribbean economies. They will also propose new opportunities for trade and investment, reaffirming the shared heritage and cultural identity that naturally align Africa and the Caribbean.
“There is a hugely positive outlook for many African and Caribbean countries, cementing closer links between the two regions to accelerate growth and prosperity,” reveals Dr. Oramah.
This significant event will be a chance to not only celebrate the progress that has already been made in establishing Global Africa but to also look ahead to a future where its economic aspirations have been realized.
