The African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) participated in high-level deliberations in Abuja during the 5th Arab Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Board of Governors Meeting and the 13th Executive Committee Meeting, reaffirming its role in strengthening Arab–African economic cooperation.
Representing the Bank, Mr. Haytham ElMaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, contributed to a strategic dialogue titled “From Tariff Challenges to Trade Opportunities: Leveraging AfCFTA and GAFTA for Arab–African Economic Integration.”
ElMaayergi emphasized AATB’s expanding influence as a catalytic platform that links Arab and African markets through trade, investment, insurance, and infrastructure. Established in 2017, the initiative has helped deepen commercial relations, enhance capacity-building across member states, and facilitate deal flow between financial institutions across both regions.
Under Afreximbank’s three-year chairmanship of the AATB Executive Committee, the programme recorded several major accomplishments. These include:
- Official endorsement from the African Union
- Launch of the USD 1.5 billion Food Security Program
- Support to Egypt through a USD 1.9 billion syndicated facility arranged by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)
- Co-development of the USD 500 million Arab–African Trade Financing and Promotion Program for SMEs
- Training of more than 10,000 SMEs under the joint “How to Export Under the AfCFTA” initiative
Afreximbank officials also advanced discussions with the ITFC and BADEA – the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa—on evolving the AATB into a more execution-focused dealmaking platform, with particular emphasis on sectors such as food security, pharmaceuticals, and green energy.
As leadership of the AATB transitions to BADEA, Afreximbank reaffirmed its commitment to deepening Arab–African economic cooperation, mobilizing investment toward shared priorities, and strengthening a more integrated and resilient trade corridor between the two regions.