Leston Mulli attending Afreximbank’s 30th Anniversary celebration alongside President Chakwera

* The events provide an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate, Afreximbank’s achievements and contributions to boosting Africa’s trade and in transforming African economies

* Under the theme: ‘Delivering the Vision, Building Prosperity for Africans

By Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express & Mercy Makuwira, MANA

One of the country’s top entrepreneurs, Leston Mulli of Mulli Brothers Limited is also attending the 30th Anniversary celebration of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) alongside President Lazarus Chakwera being held in Accra from today, June 18-21 — being hosted by Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He is attending the anniversary as well as shareholders the bank’s annual general meeting (AGM) as well as advisory group meetings and seminars, which coincide with the 30th Anniversary.

The letter of invitation from Afreximbank’ President & chairman of the Board of Directors, Professor Benedict O. Oramah said the events “provide an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate, Afreximbank’s achievements and contributions to boosting Africa’s trade and in transforming African economies”.

“The Bank’s 30th Anniversary celebrations, being marked under the theme: ‘Delivering the Vision, Building Prosperity for Africans’, provide an opportunity to celebrate Afreximbank’s achievements over the past three decades and explore prospects for accelerating the process of development and transformation of African economies.

“Against this background, it is an honour for us to especially invite you to this event. While looking forward to seeing you in Accra, please accept the assurances of our highest consideration and my best personal regards.”

In Accra, MANA reports that Chakwera arrived on Saturday through Kokota International Airport and was met by Ghana’s Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Malawi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo and Ghanaian High Commissioner to Malawi Khadija Iddrisu.

During his visit, the President will among other things hold bilateral meetings with President Akuofo Addo, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Oramah, the Afrixembank chairman of the Board.

Being held at Accra International Conference Centre, the meetings have drawn African and Caribbean leaders, senior government officials, policy makers, corporate leaders, bankers and academicians are meeting.

Some of the speakers include President of Ghana; Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley; chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and former Côte d’Ivoire international football player, Didier Drogba, who is president of Drogda Foundation.

Afrixembank is a pan-African supranational multilateral financial institution that was created in 1993 with blessings from the African Development Bank.

It is a financial provider to African governments and private businesses with the aim of financing and promoting intra- and extra-African trade by providing trade and project finance; it provides guarantees and credit insurance, and information and advisory services to its clients.

Afrixembank is owned by 50 African governments, African continental, regional and sub-regional institutions, African private investors and nationals, and international financial institutions and economic organizations.

The Bank has pledged to provide funds to Malawi amounting to K932 billion through Export Development Fund to develop two of the country’s four industrial parks — at Matindi in Blantyre and at Area 55 in Lilongwe, expected to start this year.

In view of that, in the 2023 financial year government has allocated K4 billion to compensate those who will be relocated in the sites marked for the industrial parks.

There are 624 hectares for the parks to develop the special economic zones which are expected to create over 240,000 jobs and in addition, Afreximbank is also providing funds for the mega farms which is one of President Chakwera’s flagship programs.