‘Namibia should be open to other African buyers’

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says it is taking serious steps to make Namibia accessible to African buyers.

The bank’s vice president, Haytham El Maayergi, said this on the sidelines of the Trade Finance Seminar and Factoring Workshop in Windhoek last week.

He said the bank has a lot of plans for Namibia.

As the bank pushes its Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPPS), the aim is to incorporate Namibia as well to enhance the country’s trade with other African countries.

The PAPSS is a cross-border, financial market infrastructure enabling payment transactions across Africa.

“So, the potential is large. We discussed how to use the power of digital tools and the Africa Trade Gateway to enable Namibian small and medium enterprises and exporters to show their products and goods to the entire Africa.

“We discussed a food security programme. You’ve seen, for example, during the Ukrainian war a lot of countries in Africa were dependent on wheat, like Egypt for example, and within Africa we can be self-sufficient,” he said.

The vice president said the bank has a range of ideas to support the different plans and has commenced with strong engagement with Namibia.

“Namibia is a shareholder, and it’s our duty to support the plans and make sure we do our best to add value to whatever the country is planning to do,” El Maayergi said.