News

Prof. Benedict Oramah, former President and Chairman of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and current Chairman of Africa Trading Minerals (ATMIN), will chair the African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Finance Summit, taking place from October 12–16 in Cape Town. Oramah’s participation places one of Africa’s most influential development finance leaders at the forefront of discussions on energy investment, infrastructure financing and industrial growth, reaffirming the event’s role as the continent’s premier deal-making platform.

Taking place within the main strategic conference program, the AEW 2026 Finance Summit will address one of the most pressing challenges facing Africa’s energy sector: a lack of investment. With an annual energy investment gap estimated between $31 billion and $50 billion, the Summit will explore tangible strategies to mobilize private capital, expand development financing and unlock new avenues for domestic funding across the energy value chain. Oramah’s participation ensures these discussions remain central to the event.

Having previously led Afreximbank, Oramah played a pivotal role in positioning the institution as one of the continent’s most active financiers of strategic infrastructure and energy projects. The bank has been instrumental in supporting African-led energy development, including backing refining infrastructure, advancing regional trade integration and facilitating capital access for major projects. In recent years, the bank increased its capital base by $25 billion, enhancing its capacity to finance large-scale energy and infrastructure initiatives. It has also played a leading role in the development of the Africa Energy Bank (AEB), which is expected to begin operations in 2026 and deploy billions in capital toward African energy projects.

Recent developments underscore Afreximbank’s continued role in financing African projects and highlight the importance of development finance in accelerating infrastructure rollout. South Africa joined Afreximbank in 2026, unlocking an $8 billion country program focused on energy, manufacturing and trade, alongside a $3 billion Transformation Fund aimed at supporting black-owned businesses and SMEs. Meanwhile, a new trading house – ATMIN – was launched in 2025 by a group of former Shell traders, with financial backing from Afreximbank.

The bank has underwritten $2.5 billion of a $4 billion syndicated term loan for Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery; launched the African Continental Free Trade Area Adjustment Fund; introduced its flagship Accelerator Program to boost intra-African trade; and committed financing packages to Ecobank Zimbabwe, Egypt’s SAMCO and Malawi’s NBS Bank.

Afreximbank has also expanded its developmental mandate through initiatives such as the African Medical Center of Excellence (AMCE), reflecting the growing recognition that energy, healthcare and industrialization are interconnected pillars of long-term economic growth. The $300 million tertiary medical facility was developed in partnership with King’s College Hospital London, offering world-class services across oncology, hematology, cardiology and general medicine. The center officially opened in 2025.

“Prof. Benedict Oramah represents the type of leadership Africa needs as the continent works to finance its own energy future. His participation at AEW 2026 comes at a defining moment, as Africa strengthens energy security, expands industrial capacity and builds financing institutions capable of supporting long-term growth,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

AEW 2026’s Finance Summit is expected to serve as a key platform for advancing new financing structures, facilitating investment partnerships and accelerating commercially driven dealmaking across Africa’s energy sector. The Summit will focus on project bankability, African-led financing mechanisms, infrastructure investment, risk mitigation strategies and the evolving role of development finance institutions in supporting the continent’s energy expansion.