Afreximbank held a roadshow in Nassau on 29 May to deepen ties with Bahamian government, business and finance leaders, following approval of a $5 billion financing facility for the Caribbean.
The event was part of the bank’s strategy to widen trade, investment and economic cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean under its broader Global Africa agenda. Afreximbank is raising its financing cap for the region to $5 billion, including funding for The Bahamas, a step its board has approved.
Prime Minister Philip Davis opened the roadshow, which drew a strong turnout from the Bahamian business community and gave the bank a platform to present its financing, advisory and trade facilitation services.
Davis said growth had to reach more people. “Economic growth must translate into broader economic participation,” he said, adding that stronger access to capital through institutions such as Afreximbank was central to that effort. He also underlined the value of regional and international cooperation at a time of economic uncertainty.
Okechukwu Ihejirika, chief operating officer of Afreximbank’s Caribbean Office, said the bank had moved quickly in its first years in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It had arranged about $140 million in infrastructure financing through public private partnership (PPP) arrangements in The Bahamas, he said, and extended $30 million to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The push builds on engagement that began with Afreximbank’s 2024 annual meetings and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum, held in Nassau. The bank has been active in the Caribbean for about two years, and its Bahamas pipeline now approaches $500 million.
Other speakers included Finance Minister Michael Halkitis, Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey, Bahamas Striping Group of Companies president Atario Mitchell, and CAT Island Development Company managing director Kino Simmons.
