President Akufo-Addo and other leading African and Caribbean figures will be among the top headliners at the 30^th Annual Meetings of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

The Meetings take place in Accra from 18 to 21 June 2023.

According to a provisional programme released, President Akufo-Addo and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados will be among a set of high-profile leaders, comprising heads of state and government, and former heads of state.

Other political leaders, business leaders, African trade practitioners, trade finance experts, members of the academia and senior public figures, are scheduled to address participants at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2023).

Other confirmed speakers include Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria; Dr Donald Kaberuka, Chairman of the Board of Directors, SouthBridge Group and Former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat; Ambassador Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Minerals, African Union Commission.

Others are Antonio Pedro, Acting Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman, of Econet Global and Cassava Technologies; Arnold Ekpe, former Group CEO, of Ecobank, and Chairman, of the Business Council of Africa and Baobab; Dr Vera Songwe, Board Chair, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility; and David Coffey, CEO, African Association of Automotive Manufacturers.

Also confirmed to speak are Ahmed El Sewedy, President and CEO, of Elsewedy Electric of Egypt; Oussama Kaissi, Chief Executive Officer, of Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit; Florie Liser, President and CEO, of Corporate Council on Africa; Kayode Pitan, CEO, Bank of Industry of Nigeria; Hani S. Sonbol, CEO, International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation; Simon Tiemtore, Chairman and CEO, Lilium Capital, and Group Chairman, Vista Bank Group; Samaila Zubairu, President, Africa Finance Corporation; Rosa Whitaker, President and CEO, The Whitaker Group; Adam Molai, Chairman, TRT Investment; and Dr Mima Nedelcovych, Chairman, AfricaGlobal Schaffer.

The four-day AAM2023, being held under the overarching theme, Delivering the vision: Building prosperity for Africans, will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, plenaries and fireside-type conversations focusing on African trade, trade finance and development issues, including the implementation of the AfCFTA.

Some of the topics listed for discussion include Turbo-Charging Implementation of the AfCFTA; Building Prosperity for Africans: The Challenges of Peace and Security; What would it take for Africa to feed itself—Overcoming the challenges of food security for sustainable development in Africa; Building Prosperity: African Culture and Literature as a Foundation for African Renaissance; Delivering the Vision—Corporate Perspectives; and The Future of Integration in Africa.

Other sessions will cover The Benefits of Strong Continental Financial Institutions; Towards a Unified Vision for the Prosperity of Africans; A New Middle Passage by Africans for Africans — Strengthening Interconnectivity between Africa and its Diaspora for Shared Prosperity; From Parents to Offsprings: Realizing the Vision of PanAfricanism across Generations; Sport as a new Opportunity for Inclusive Growth; Lessons from History as an Opportunity for the Future — Reflections from Africa and the Caribbean; Delivering Prosperity Through Industrialization; Leveraging the Power of Intra-African Trade and Commodity-based Industrialization; Leveraging the Power of Science and Technology in a Digital Era; United We Stand: Deploying AfriCaribbean Resources for Sustainable Development — Perspectives from Monetary Authorities; Unlocking Capital to Deliver Prosperity for Africans; and Thirty Years of Making a Difference: Reflections from Former Presidents.

Afreximbank Annual Meetings are attended by business and political leaders, banking industry professionals, trade and trade finance practitioners and other parties involved in economic development from across Africa and beyond.

The Meetings, which have been ranked among the most important gatherings of economic decision-makers in Africa, are covered by the African and international media.