Lagos – The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said it had trained more than 1,500 African bankers and trade finance practitioners in structured trade finance.
The bank said in a statement on Thursday that the effort was to equip them with the knowledge and skills to improve economic conditions of the continent.
President of the bank, Dr Benedict Oramah, was quoted as disclosing this while speaking during the ongoing Afreximbank’s 15th Annual Structured Trade Finance Seminar in the Kenya.
Oramah said that the training provided by the bank covered both rudimentary and advanced knowledge of the subject.
“The primary goals of our Structured Trade Finance Seminars are to create and expand the knowledge of African bankers and other trade practitioners on issues relating to structuring trade and supply chain finance deals of varying levels of complexity,” he said.
He said that Afreximbank had been able to structure and deliver a significant number of deals, including in the most difficult markets, by using the structured trade finance approach.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
According to Oramah, beyond the training provided during the seminar, Afreximbank expects the event to also create networking opportunities for participants.
This, he added, would help to foster intra-African banking partnerships and enhance collaboration by financial institutions in financing African trade.
Ms Sheila Mmbijjewe, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, said that structured trade finance was critical to stabilise the African market.
Mmbijjewe said that the training provided by Afreximbank would make it possible to find tailor-made African solutions to its problems.
She said that Africa’s current poor trade performance was linked to the financing gap that existed on the continent.
Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, the Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), said that access to affordable trade finance was a key constraint to trade development in Africa.
Nnadozie said that through the structured trade finance seminar, Afreximbank was meeting the immediate skills needed to structure trade transactions.
Nnadozie, represented by Mr Ernest Eti, reiterated ACBF’s support for Afreximbank’s capacity building efforts, saying that ACBF was committed to building critical skills and knowledge.
The seminar series is organised by Afreximbank as part of initiatives to increase the trade and trade finance capacities of key players in the continent’s trade sector.
This is in line with the bank’s mandate and mission to be the centre of excellence in African trade matters.
More than 120 participants from 24 countries from across Africa, China, the U.S., the UK, India and the United Arab Emirates are participating in the seminar. (NAN)
