The President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Prof. Benedict Oramah, has revealed that the next edition of the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Weekend will be held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire between November 25 and 27, 2022, describing the creative industry as a bankable market. 

In a statement by the bank, Oramah made the revelation while addressing participants at the 29th Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2022) in Cairo.

He stated that the creative industry had the power “to catalyse intra-African trade, create millions of jobs for the continent’s young population and promote the emergence of national and regional value chains”.

The Afreximbank president and board chairman hailed the power of creatives to spur industrial development, adding that Afreximbank instituted the CANEX programme to support Africa’s creative and cultural industries in a manner that would revolutionise the continent’s untapped talents. 

Explaining Afreximbank’s continued support for the creative industry, the statement quoted Oramah as saying: “The CANEX programme represents an opportunity to

unlock the best of Africa,” while encouraging the youth of Africa to attend and assured them of the bank’s support.

Also speaking at the forum, the Managing Director of Afreximbank’s Intra-African Trade Initiative, Mrs Kanayo Awani, said: “The cultural and creative industries have merged to create one of the most dynamic sectors of the global economy.”   

AAM2022, which runs through Saturday, June 18, 2022, is being held under the theme ‘Realizing the AfCFTA Potential in the Post-Covid-19 Era by Leveraging the Power of the Youth’. 

The meetings are being attended by business and political leaders, banking industry professionals, trade and trade finance practitioners and other parties involved in economic development from across Africa and beyond. 

The Meetings have been ranked among the most important gatherings of economic decision makers in Africa. 

Afreximbank is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade.