The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced the opening of a new representative office in Geneva, Switzerland, to bolster Africa’s participation in global trade and deepen partnerships in key sectors.
The bank’s President and Chairman, Prof. Benedict Oramah, disclosed this during the Partnerships for Africa Day organised by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva.
Oramah said the Geneva office, established through a Memorandum of Understanding with Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), will serve as a strategic hub to strengthen collaboration in pharmaceuticals, agro-processing, energy, innovation, and finance.
He reaffirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to advancing a globally competitive Africa, not only through trade but by promoting value-added industrialisation, cultural commerce, and South-South cooperation.
“Through initiatives like the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) and the Pan-African Fashion Alliance, we are transforming Africa’s cultural wealth into exportable commercial value,” he said.
Oramah also highlighted Afreximbank’s collaboration with the ITC on the “How to Export with the AfCFTA” programme, which has trained over 12,000 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across 52 African countries.
He described the programme as pivotal in equipping African entrepreneurs with the tools needed to scale their businesses and penetrate cross-border markets under the African Continental Free