BY Nik Ogbulie (from Algiers)
Obviously very impressed with the resounding record of Professor Benedict Oramah’s years in Afreximbank, the Executive Secretary of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Mr. Wamkele Mene, yesterday at the closing ceremony of the 4th IATF25 in Algiers urged the huge participants to give all to the out-going President and Chairman of Board of Afreximbank believes that was everything to a bank that has shown impeccable service to a bank that has been everything to Africans and the Caribeans .
The huge crowd obliged him in tremendous unison, even as Oramah, sitting ,was looking humbled.
Wamkele’s uncommon declaration after the closing toast to the attendees by the bank’s Director of Communications and Events, Ms Anne Ezeh, was a moving appreciation that summarises the Oramah Years, generally described as an era of uncountable gifts to a continent in search of the way forward, especially with his founding of the iconic IATF.
It was a moment of awe as many attendees quietly began a recount of Afreximbank’s attributes under the Nigerian-born leader who gave all.
Wamkele’s sudden outburst which came as what many considered an emotional outburst, may have been an expression of the good collaborative years of challenges and nice results while putting AfCFTA together and at the same time pushing the IATF to realise the full intents of an integration of the African economy.
The serial successes on the IATFF trajectory which were further embellished in Algiers with an approximate 10% growth in all the previous records of the IATF events since the last eight years may have bouyed the demand for such a resounding greeting to Oramah.
With an outstanding about 50 billion dollars as new deals, a huge over 7billion more than the previous event and an impressive turnup of 2148 exhibitors, 49 countries in full participation, 20 heads of states over 120,000 targets with 9 countries celebrating their special days at the event and about 132 countries from across the globe represented out of the about 180 countries in the world the 8 day trade fair is believed to have taken its place among the 10 best economic fairs that may have become of the “go-to-place” calibre in the world.
The deals report which was cinosure of all participants and many interested followers have continued to progress in leaps and bounds with systemic increases that have justified the increasing interests of Africans from less than 1000 exhibitor at the inception to about 2500. The quality of attendance, exhibition and global relevance can be seen from the scope of innovations being created by the promoters which has revealed many new additions to the trend and market innovations for the future of intra-Afrian trade.
One very important submission to the event is the fact that financial institutions in African must be an integral part of the event which was made by the out-going President remains quite distinct and has been one obvious missing link in the entire Intra-African Trade market access . This observation by Oramah becomes very apt because finance is the oil with which trade is consummated, especially, now Africa’s next major leap is the development an integrated global financial access which PAPSS is critically driving.
Participants yesterday tried to preview what the event would look like in 2027, when the biggest economy in Africa will be made to unleash her huge market, oil and gas economy and some 250 million people population to bear on Africa. They said that only the bank’s Executive Vice President Intra-Africa Trade , Kanayo Awani , can hazard a guess.
