President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon has conferred the honour of Commander of the National Order of Merit on Prof. Benedict Oramah, outgoing President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), and Dr. George Elombi, the Bank’s incoming President and current Executive Vice President in charge of Governance, Legal and Corporate Services.
The national awards were presented in Libreville, during the groundbreaking ceremony for a 300-MW thermal power station, a EUR 200-million project financed by Afreximbank. The government said the honours recognised Prof. Oramah and Dr. Elombi for “their service to the Gabonese economy.”
Afreximbank’s Role in Gabon’s Development
Authorities credited Afreximbank for its decade-long partnership in driving Gabon’s economic transformation, particularly through investments made in collaboration with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP). These include the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that have spurred industrialisation, job creation, and poverty reduction.
The government also cited Afreximbank’s commitment to invest US$5 billion in domestic manganese processing, modernisation of the railway network, expanded energy production, and the construction of three power plants in Libreville, Port-Gentil, and Lambaréné.
Accepting the award, Prof. Oramah said, “Executive Vice President, Dr. George Elombi, and I are truly honored by this recognition. We sincerely appreciate and share the awards with our entire team at Afreximbank, whose hard work and determination continue to pave the way for Africa’s socio-economic transformation.”
He praised President Nguema’s leadership, noting, “We thank the Gabonese government for associating Afreximbank with this ambitious economic transformation agenda.” Oramah further emphasised that Africa’s transformation must be “achieved through our own efforts rather than relying on external support,” announcing plans for a US$5 billion Country Programme to back strategic projects in Gabon.
The honours coincided with the launch of Afreximbank’s financing package for Gabon’s energy sector. The facility agreement, signed in Abuja on 27 June during the Bank’s 32nd Annual Meetings, provides a EUR 200-million amortising term loan for the construction of three thermal power plants with a total capacity of 300 megawatts.
This builds on a memorandum of understanding between Afreximbank and Gabon for a US$3.8-billion programme to promote trade, create jobs, and position the country as a regional hub for industrialisation and intra-African trade.
