New Era for Afreximbank: Dr. George Elombi Assumes Presidency.

By George Ozalla 

President Afreximbank; Dr. George Elombi has been appointed as the new President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), succeeding Professor Benedict Oramah, who has served in the role since 2015.

 The appointment was confirmed at the Bank’s 32nd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday June 28, 2025.

Dr. Elombi, a Cameroonian national, has been with Afreximbank since 1996, rising through the ranks from Legal Officer to Executive Vice President, Governance, Legal and Corporate Services. 

He played a pivotal role in shaping the Bank’s structure and strategy, contributing to the establishment of key subsidiaries. Notably, Dr. Elombi led the Bank’s emergency response during the COVID-19 pandemic, mobilizing over $2 billion for vaccine acquisition and distribution across Africa and the Caribbean.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Elombi expressed his commitment to advancing Afreximbank’s mission, stating, “As we look to the future, I see Afreximbank as a force for industrializing Africa and for re-gaining the dignity of Africans wherever they are.” Dr. Elombi will serve a five-year term, renewable once, as per the Afreximbank Charter.

Dr. Elombi holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Ph.D. in commercial arbitration from the London School of Economics, University of London, and a ‘Maitrise-en-Droit’ from the University of Yaoundé. 

Before joining Afreximbank, Dr. Elombi taught law at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. Dr. Elombi pledged to work towards transforming Afreximbank into a $250 billion institution within the next decade, as envisioned by his predecessor. He aims to build on the Bank’s legacy and support Africa’s industrialization and development goals.