At the opening of the 25th Afreximbank seminar on trade finance (ATFS) in Abidjan, the director general of trade finance and related banking services at AfreximBank , Gwen Mwaba , called for strengthening trade finance capacities and for deepening collaboration between African financial institutions in order to accelerate inclusive and sustainable growth on the continent.

“Africa is richly endowed with resources natural products such as minerals, hydrocarbons, agricultural products and a growing range of opportunities with high added value in energy, metals and logistics sectors. These resources have immense development potential when they are financed by in a responsible, effective manner and with rigorous risk management. For To realize this potential, we need banks and institutions financial institutions not only aware of risks, but also structurally competent,” said Gwen Mwaba , managing director of trade finance and corresponding banking services at AfreximBank .

For her, the crucial role of professionals in qualified finance in building Africa's commercial future and the importance of capacity building to translate the abundant Africa's natural and human resources for economic development concrete. She also indicated that “well-trained bankers, equipped with sophisticated skills in structuring transactions, can adapt financing to value chains that are highly dependent on capital and align project financing with development needs local and environmental guarantees”.

According to him, “trade finance, based on trust, risk assessment and liquidity, remains essential for trade, investment and job creation. Our The collective task is to ensure that this funding arrives reliably to businesses that need it and that its benefits are widespread shared”.

Gwen Mwaba also indicated that the Bank had, for over thirty years, established a portfolio of programs and mechanisms promoting regional integration, the creation of added value and the creation of jobs. These programs and mechanisms include:

* Large-scale financing of oriented sectors towards exports and trade-promoting infrastructures;

* Innovative tools for risk sharing and credit enhancement to raise private capital;

* Specialized financing facilities raw materials and projects, in accordance with guarantees environmental and social; and

* Targeted programs of capacity building to strengthen the skills of bankers and African policy makers.