EGYPT and Afreximbank have intensified preparations for the lender’s 33rd annual meetings, with officials describing the gathering as a strategic platform to advance African industrialisation and regional integration.
Speaking during an Afreximbank Annual Meetings 2026 (AAM2026) media briefing on Wednesday, Egyptian and Afreximbank officials said the event would bring together about 4 000 delegates, including heads of state, ministers, central bank governors, investors, bankers and private sector leaders from across Africa and beyond.
The meetings, scheduled for June 21 to 24 in Egypt, will focus on intra-African trade, industrialisation and economic integration at a time when African economies are facing mounting global economic and geopolitical pressures.
They will run under the theme: “Intra-African Trade and Industrialisation: Pathway to Economic Sovereignty.”
George Elombi, president and chairman of the board of directors of Afreximbank, said Africa’s next phase of growth would depend on stronger trade ties within the continent, increased industrial processing and investment in productive sectors.
“The message is simple: Africa's next phase of growth must be driven by intra-African trade, by industrial processing and by greater economic integration amongst our countries,” Elombi said.
He said Africa had spent decades building institutions aimed at supporting continental integration, including the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System.
Elombi said Afreximbank was also pushing initiatives such as the Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme to reduce customs bottlenecks and improve the movement of goods across borders.
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He said the challenge now was to transform Africa’s production capacity and investment opportunities into tangible economic growth.
Elombi said Afreximbank remained financially strong despite a difficult global operating environment.
He said the bank’s total assets had risen to US$49,4 billion, while shareholders’ funds stood at about US$8,6 billion.
According to Elombi, the lender maintained a capital adequacy ratio of 23% and a non-performing loans ratio of 2,4%.
“So we have a strong bank,” he said.
“Investor confidence has remained very strong in Afreximbank and we believe that will be the case even in this difficult year of 2026.”
Elombi said the annual meetings would serve as a major investment and deal-making platform where African businesses and international investors could identify new opportunities across the continent.
He said discussions would focus on industrialisation, logistics, mineral processing, trade finance and energy security.
“The key discussion would be around how Africa readjusts its own trade direction and its own trade patterns,” Elombi said.
“When the world closes itself to us, we cannot close ourselves off from one another.
He said increased intra-African trade would not be possible without improvements in logistics and transport systems.
Elombi also highlighted opportunities in mineral processing, saying Africa possessed abundant mineral resources but limited processing capacity outside countries such as South Africa and Morocco.
He said African governments needed to direct investment towards sectors capable of driving industrial growth and value addition.
“The money is available,” Elombi said.
“What we need is the expertise and the determination of governments to direct in what areas to put the investment.”
Hassan Abdalla, governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, described Egypt’s relationship with Afreximbank as “strategic and fundamental”.
Egypt hosts Afreximbank’s headquarters and is one of the bank’s founding shareholders.
Abdalla said the partnership was built on a shared vision to promote African trade, industrialisation and regional cooperation.
“Over the years, Afreximbank has established itself as one of the continent’s most impactful financial institutions and a key driver for Africa’s transformation,” Abdalla said.
He said Africa was moving towards building more diversified and resilient economies as countries sought to unlock the value of the continent’s natural resources and economic potential.
Abdalla said the annual meetings would provide a platform for dialogue on trade finance, regional integration and reforms to the global financial system to better reflect the interests of developing economies.
He praised the choice of this year’s theme, saying it reflects a conscious vision towards the importance of shaping an integrated and sustainable African future.
He said preparations for the meetings were progressing rapidly through coordination between the Central Bank of Egypt, Afreximbank and other national authorities.
According to Abdalla, organisers were working on logistical, technical, security and protocol arrangements to ensure the meetings met international standards.
“We do not view the Afreximbank annual meetings as merely a conference,” Abdalla said.
“We consider it a strategic milestone in our collective journey towards building a more integrated, industrialised, resilient and economically sovereign African continent.”
