Afreximbank Appoints George Elombi As New President

The African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank, has appointed Dr. George Elombi as its new President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, making him the fourth individual to lead the institution since its establishment in 1993.

His appointment was ratified during the Bank’s 32nd Annual Meetings held in Abuja, Nigeria, which culminated in the formal General Meeting of Shareholders.

He will officially assume the role in September 2025, succeeding Professor Benedict Oramah, who has served as President since 2015.

Dr. Elombi, a Cameroonian national, has had a distinguished career at Afreximbank, having joined the institution in 1996 as a Legal Officer.

Over the past three decades, he has steadily climbed the ranks, holding key positions such as Executive Secretary, Director of Legal Services, and currently serving as Executive Vice President, Governance, Legal and Corporate Services.

While briefing newsmen, the outgoing president Benedict Oramah said Elombi’s deep understanding of the Bank’s structure and operations made him a natural choice to steer Afreximbank into its next phase of growth.

Oramah explained that he played an instrumental role in shaping the Bank’s governance and expanding its institutional capacity and was pivotal in establishing several of the bank’s key subsidiaries and led its COVID-19 emergency response, mobilising over $2 billion for vaccine procurement and distribution across Africa and the Caribbean.

In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Elombi expressed a strong commitment to building on the Bank’s legacy.

“I have worked alongside remarkable colleagues and extraordinary leaders to help shape this institution’s vision. As we look to the future, I see Afreximbank as a force for industrialising Africa and for re-gaining the dignity of Africans wherever they are”.

He also embraced the target set by his predecessor to transform Afreximbank into a $250 billion institution within the next decade.

Dr. Elombi’s academic background includes a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Ph.D. in Commercial Arbitration from the London School of Economics, University of London, as well as a Maitrise-en-Droit from the University of Yaoundé.

His appointment followed a rigorous international selection process, which involved public calls for applications and interviews conducted by a global executive search firm.

The final recommendation by Afreximbank’s Board of Directors was approved by the General Meeting of Shareholders.

With his leadership, the Bank is expected to deepen its impact on intra-African trade, industrialisation, and economic resilience across the continent.

Umbwanko Baba, Edited By Grace Namiji