AFRICAN Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has received two prestigious honours at the 2026 International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards, one of the world's leading programmes recognising excellence in strategic communications.
The bank won an Award of Excellence in the Special and Experiential Events category for the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025), held in Algiers, Algeria, and an Award of Merit in the social media category for its Afreximbank Social Media Campaigns.
The accolades reaffirm Afreximbank's commitment to delivering impactful communications that advance its mandate of promoting trade, investment and industrialisation across Africa and the Caribbean.
The Award of Excellence recognises the communications and stakeholder engagement programme delivered around the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair, Africa's premier trade and investment event.
IATF2025 brought together governments, businesses, investors, buyers, sellers and entrepreneurs from across Africa and beyond, creating a platform for trade and investment opportunities while advancing the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to Afreximbank, the communications campaign played a critical role in driving global awareness, stakeholder participation, media visibility and engagement before, during and after the event.
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It also helped showcase the scale, ambition and dynamism of African enterprise while reinforcing a positive narrative about the continent's capacity to trade, industrialise and compete on the global stage.
More than 120 000 delegates attended IATF2025, both physically and virtually, with deals worth over US$50 billion recorded during the event.
The Award of Merit recognises Afreximbank's strategic use of digital platforms to engage stakeholders, amplify its developmental impact and elevate discussions around trade, industrialisation, economic integration and investment opportunities across Africa and the Caribbean.
Through a combination of compelling storytelling, thought-leadership content, executive advocacy, multimedia production and real-time event coverage, Afreximbank's social media platforms have continued to expand their reach and influence among policymakers, businesses, investors, development partners and the wider public.
Among these platforms is Afreximbank TV, the bank's wholly owned and managed digital television channel, which provided extensive coverage of IATF2025, broadcasting activities live to audiences across Africa and around the world.
Afreximbank's director and global head of communications and events, Anne Ezeh, said the awards reflected the expertise, creativity and effectiveness of the bank's communications team.
"As a pan African multilateral financial institution, we see storytelling as a powerful tool for advancing our mission — ensuring our initiatives, events, programmes and key announcements not only inform, but also inspire confidence, deepen engagement and amplify Africa's transformation," she said.
"These awards reinforce our resolve to continue delivering world-class communications that elevate African voices and project a bold and authoritative narrative of the continent."
Ezeh said the bank would continue using innovative storytelling, digital engagement and integrated campaigns to amplify the impact of its programmes and partnerships while projecting a more authentic narrative of Africa.
For more than five decades, the IABC Gold Quill Awards have recognised excellence in strategic communications globally, celebrating programmes and campaigns that demonstrate measurable impact, innovation, creativity and outstanding execution.
Widely regarded as the pinnacle of achievement in the communications profession, the awards are judged through a rigorous and independent evaluation process conducted by experienced communications leaders from around the world.