President, AfreximBank, Dr. Benedict Oramah
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has signed a facility agreement of $170 million with Egypt-based conglomerate, Orascom Investment Holding (OIH), to assist the company’s pan-African expansion activities.
The move would now pave way for Orascom Investment to explore business and investment opportunities referred to it by Afreximbank in such countries as Nigeria, Rwanda, Togo, Eretria and Sao Tome.
Afreximbank President, Prof. Benedict Oramah, said that the facility agreement was part of the bank’s effort to promote intra-African investments and export manufacturing, using the bank’s framework of Intra-African Investment Finance Facility.
Oramah said that the transaction was a significant opportunity for OIH’s targeted investments in companies across Africa to support their transformation, increase their production capacity and produce higher quality exports through better value addition, especially in the agro-processing sector.
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The facility would complement ongoing macroeconomic and safety net reforms in Egypt, which seek to foster sector-specific economic growth, especially in strategic sectors with proven record of creating jobs and reducing poverty, he said.
The President said that the agreement would set up long-term strategic partnership between Afreximbank and Orascom, describing OIH as one of the most successful and diverse holding companies in the North Africa region, with the potential of assisting the Bank in expanding its operations in the regional and Egyptian markets.
“Our collaboration opens the potential for our two institutions to strengthen their relationship and mutual cooperation in order to make significant contributions towards unlocking the full potentials of intra-African investment,” he added.
The Chairman of OIH, Naguib Sawiris, said that the company’s main focus was currently on investing in Africa, adding that the continent would only achieve progress if intra-African trade and investment growth were realised.
Sawiris said it was up to Africans to come together to work for that goal and commended Afreximbank for the quick turnaround in processing the transaction and for the professionalism and dedication shown by the Afreximbank team.
