President Lazarus Chakwera has described the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) as a great friend for Malawi.
Chakwera was speaking at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe Monday on departure for Nigeria, where he is scheduled to attend the 32nd annual meetings of Afreximbank.
The meetings start Wednesday and run up to June 28.
The annual meetings, which will be held under the theme ‘Building the Future on Decades of Resilience’, are expected to bring together African and Caribbean Heads of State and Government and members of the bank, ministers, central bank governors, among others, to deliberate on accelerating intra-African trade, enhancing investment and promoting economic transformation across the continent.
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Chakwera said Afreximbank was working with Malawi in the areas facilitation of trade deals, including helping the country with special economic zones and industrialisation as a major pillar of the Malawi 2063.
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“Afreximbank is crucial and central to that project. And what we are focusing on this year is the implementation of the many [things] that we have agreed over a couple of years. And now it is time to see the action.
“And so, at their invitation, I accepted gladly to be able to be part of what Africa is doing in facilitating trade among our citizens,” Chakwera said.
In a statement released on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said during the meetings, Chakwera is expected to participate in the presidential plenary session, where he would engage fellow African and Caribbean leaders on regional trade and investment cooperation.
The ministry further said Chakwera would also hold bilateral meetings with Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Afreximbank President Benedict Orama and other key African leaders to promote investment opportunities in Malawi and forge partnerships in priority sectors such as agriculture, energy, mining, infrastructure, tourism and digital innovation.
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Afreximbank Annual Meetings is one of the most anticipated gatherings on the African continent, featuring high-level policy discussions, presentations and side events on issues that are pertinent to the socio-economic development of Africa as well as business networking sessions that drive integration through trade and investments.
The 32nd Afreximbank annual meetings are expected to be the largest gathering of Global Africa in the Bank’s Annual Meetings history, bringing together over 6,000 delegates from Africa, the Caricom region and globally.
