Professor Benedict Oramah, outgoing President and Chairman of the Board of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), has been honoured for over three decades of service to the Bank at the third edition of the Pan-African Business and Development Awards.

Held during the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, the awards gala recognised transformative African businesses and institutions, including Export Trading Group (ETG), TRACE, KCB Group, and CBZ Bank.

Presenting the Long Service Award to Prof. Oramah, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, described him as “a true son of the soil” whose leadership had fundamentally reshaped trade and development across Africa. Oramah, who spent ten years at the helm of Afreximbank, was recognised alongside three other staff members for between 25 and 30 years of dedicated service.

Other top honours at the event included the Global Africa Business Leader Award, won by ETG for boosting food security and connecting African farmers to global markets; Diaspora Business of the Year, won by TRACE, for its role in empowering African identity through entertainment.

The bight also featured the Afreximbank Financial Institutions Awards, with KCB Group (Kenya) emerging winner in the category for banks with capital over $500 million in capitalisation, while CBZ Bank (Zimbabwe) won the category for banks under $500 million capital.

TRACE CEO Olivier Laouchez and leaders of KCB and CBZ expressed gratitude for the recognition, reaffirming their commitment to Africa’s economic transformation.

The Pan-African Business and Development Awards were launched in 2023 by Afreximbank in partnership with the Business Council for Africa (BCA) to honour institutions that drive cross-border trade and innovation in line with the Bank’s Global Africa vision.

CAPTION: His Excellency Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy of Nigeria, Mr. Wale Edun and Prof Benedict Oramah, Afreximbank President and Chairman of Board of Directors at the event.