Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Governor Hassan Abdalla and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) President and Chairperson George Elombi have held a press briefing at the CBE headquarters ahead of the 33rd Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2026), scheduled to take place in Alamein from 21 to 24 June 2026 under the patronage of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
Attended by more than 100 local and international media representatives, both in person and virtually, the briefing highlighted preparations for AAM2026, expected participation levels and Egypt’s role as host of one of Africa’s leading annual forums focused on economic transformation and trade development.
In his remarks, Abdalla reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to ensuring the successful hosting of AAM2026, underscoring the country’s longstanding partnership with Afreximbank in supporting African economic development, trade and investment.
“Egypt is honoured to host the 33rd Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Alamein, reflecting our continued commitment to supporting Africa’s economic integration, trade expansion and sustainable development,” Abdalla said.
He added that the meetings would provide a high-level platform for dialogue and the exchange of views on the future of African economic and financial cooperation.
“The meetings go beyond conventional discussions to advance key continental priorities, including trade finance, regional integration and the urgent need to reform the global financial architecture to better reflect the development needs of emerging economies,” he said.
For his part, Elombi expressed appreciation to Abdalla and Egyptian institutions involved in organising the event, praising their support and coordination efforts.
“Egypt and Afreximbank share a common vision to accelerate Africa’s economic development, industrialisation and broad-based prosperity across the continent,” Elombi said.
“AAM2026 will provide an important opportunity to strengthen partnerships, unlock investment opportunities and advance discussions on intra-African trade, Africa’s financial sovereignty and economic resilience in an increasingly complex global environment.”
Elombi added that Afreximbank’s annual meetings aim to identify priority projects and actionable programmes capable of accelerating the transformation of Africa’s trade infrastructure.
“Africa’s growth trajectory will be driven by industrialisation and intra-African trade, and achieving this will require substantial improvements in processing, logistics and, importantly, supportive government policies,” he said.
The briefing underscored the strategic partnership between Egypt and Afreximbank, while highlighting the bank’s support for sectors including financial services, trade, industrial infrastructure, manufacturing, oil and gas, telecommunications, power and construction.
Officials also outlined the potential economic benefits of Egypt hosting AAM2026, including strengthening the country’s position as a regional financial and business hub, supporting the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry, creating opportunities for Egyptian businesses and investors, and boosting tourism in Alamein.
Elombi revealed that Afreximbank has provided around $9.5 billion in financing to Egypt over the past three years. He also referred to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Afreximbank African Trade Centre (AATC) in the New Administrative Capital in December 2025, noting that the $250m project is expected to reinforce Egypt’s role as a regional hub for trade facilitation, payments, logistics and SME development.
He further highlighted plans for the proposed pan-African Gold Bank, an initiative intended to formalise Africa’s gold value chains, strengthen central bank reserves and reduce reliance on offshore refining and external trading centres.
Over the years, Afreximbank’s Annual Meetings have evolved into one of the continent’s leading platforms for shaping dialogue on Africa’s economic future and promoting intra-African trade. The 33rd edition is expected to bring together heads of state, government ministers, central bank governors, business leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, investors and development partners to discuss the issues shaping Africa’s economic outlook and trade agenda.
The AAM2026 programme will feature policy discussions, plenary sessions, investment and business forums, deal-signing ceremonies, major announcements, networking events, bilateral meetings and discussions centred on intra-African trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Sessions will also address trade finance, industrialisation, energy, infrastructure and digital transformation.
