Africa has the people, resources, and spirit that refuse to quit in the pursuit of economic prosperity, President Bola Tinubu has said.

Welcoming delegates to the 2025 Afreximbank annual meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, President Tinubu emphasised that Nigeria is proud to lead the charge as the continent transitions from reform to recovery.

“From June 25 to 28, Abuja will proudly host the 2025 Afreximbank Annual Meetings, a gathering of Africa’s global leaders and most determined partners, under the theme ‘Building the future of Africa on decades of resilience’. Africa has what it takes to be great; our people, our vast resources, and a spirit that refuses to quit. Come, take a bet on Nigeria. Take a bet on Africa,” the President stated.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who declared the meetings opened, cited global fragmentation, commodity transition, and climate disruption as the challenges confronting developing economies.

Shettima, who was represented by a Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr Tope Fasua, submitted that Africa must go beyond resilience to renewables.

“That means mobilising blended finance to crowd in private capital for infrastructure and green transition. That means deepening regional value chains anchored in FCFTA and powered by scalable industrial policy. That means institutionalising digital trade systems to cut costs and boost intra-African commerce. That means strengthening financial institutions like the African Bank with new capital, governance frameworks, and risk-sharing facilities.”

The Vice President noted that leaders must ensure that transformation is inclusive, reaching the youth, SMEs, and women entrepreneurs.

Presenting the Afreximbank 2025 African Trade Report, the Group Chief Economist, Afreximbank, Dr. Yemi Kale, urged African leaders to develop structures tailored to Africa’s unique market realities and leverage digital platforms designed to enhance efficiency and accessibility.

Kale disclosed that as of now, 15 African central banks are already part of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) network.

He noted that it is vital that African voices have a greater influence in shaping the global financial rules and regulations that impact trade finance.

He said the 2025 African Trade Report and 2025 African Trade and Economic Outlook Report advocate for the deepening of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation beyond ratification to more enhanced trade facilitation.

The former Director General of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) maintained that stakeholders need to scale Africa’s Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), making them bigger, stronger, and more effective.

He added, “We need to invest in infrastructure, especially digital trade logistics. And finally, we need to expand access to trade finance, including expanding the range of instruments to close the finance gap, especially for our SMEs and industrial clusters, to unlock traditional, unlock industrialisation.”

Kale hinted that in 2024, the bank disbursed approximately $18.7 billion to support industrialisation and resilience in trade across the continent.

The report highlights the key macroeconomic and trade developments shaping Africa’s recovery, detailing opportunities for sustainable growth amid heightening global and domestic uncertainties.

Despite global economic fragility, Afreximbank Research projects Africa’s real GDP to grow by 4.0 per cent in 2025, reaching 4.1 per cent in 2026 and 4.2 per cent in 2027.