News
Afreximbank Partners Automakers to Drive Africa’s Industrialization
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has renewed its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, harmonising efforts to promote intra-African trade and investment in the continent’s automotive sector.
The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the recently concluded Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers, Algeria by Gainmore Zanamwe, the Director of Trade Facilitation and Investment Promotion at Afreximbank, and Martina Biene, President of AAAM. Its key pillars are regional automotive value chains, automotive financing, and policy and capacity building.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Dr Zanamwe expressed Afreximbank’s commitment to support development of the automotive sector in Africa.
He added: “This MoU underscores the commitment of Afreximbank and AAAM to strengthen Africa’s industrialisation goals through strategic partnerships. By aligning financial innovation, policy support, and value chain development within the automotive sector, we are fostering a new era of intra-African trade and manufacturing.
“Our commitment to this initiative demonstrates how Afreximbank’s resources and expertise can transform continental aspirations into tangible economic outcomes.”
He stated that the MoU is expected to catalyse industrialisation by spurring local automotive manufacturing, strengthen regional integration, improve trade flows, create skilled jobs and reduce reliance on the import of second-hand vehicles across Africa.
“Afreximbank has been a phenomenal partner in our quest to drive growth and industrialisation of the automotive industry on the continent. We are pleased with the renewal of the MoU. Logistics, energy, skills development and financing mechanisms must keep pace with our ambitions.
“Afreximbank’s leadership is critical in this regard, but so too is the commitment of our governments to invest in infrastructure that connects factories to markets,” said Biene, president of AAAM.
The revitalised framework aligns AAAM’s strategic expansion ambition by positioning it to take advantage of Afreximbank’s continental reach and trade-promotion mandate. It fosters coordinated efforts to map and activate regional value chains, deploy auto-specific financing solutions and strengthen national and continental automotive policy environments.
“It also envisages collaboration with institutions, like the African Union, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), in order to enhance trade facilitation, capacity building, harmonised standards and mobilisation of blended financing to catalyse industrialisation and sustainable growth in Africa’s automotive sector.
“We must unite with key stakeholders to enable affordable mobility in Africa. The implementation of affordable vehicle and asset financing will unlock the potential the continent has. Despite challenges, the opportunities are immense.
“With coordinated action, Africa can manufacture at least between 3.5 and 5 million vehicles annually by 2035 – creating jobs for our youth, strengthening local supply chains, and ensuring that the benefits of industrialisation are shared across our continent,” Biene added.
The Africa Automotive Show held at IATF2025 brought together players in the automotive sector, including manufacturers, subcontractors and equipment manufacturers. It aimed to promote African potential in automotive manufacturing and strengthen regional supply chains.
Hosted in collaboration with AAAM, the show focused on development of regional automotive supply chains within the whole of Africa. Attended by more than 112,000 visitors from 132 countries, IATF2025, which took place from 4 to 10 September, ended on a remarkably high note with US$48.3 billion in trade and investment deals signed over the seven days of the continental exposition. It welcomed 2,148 exhibitors.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) and the Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) have enjoined banks to further deepen and prioritize financial inclusion, women’s empowerment and sustained growth through strategic mandates and frameworks, aimed at closing the financial gap and empowering more small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners.
Both organisations made this call during a courtesy visit to the newly invested 24th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Dele Alabi, Ph.D, FCIB, as part of plans to congratulate him on his investiture as well as seek a stronger alliance between both bodies.
The visit followed Alabi’s investiture where he unveiled his “IMPACT” Vision, themed “Consolidating Our Local Impact, Enhancing Our Global Relevance.”
The vision rests on six pillars: Inclusion across geographic, gender, and generational lines; Membership growth and quality; Professionalism and ethics; Accountability; Competencies and skills development; Technology, automation, and innovation. Other areas of shared interest, include women empowerment, financial inclusion and literacy, as well as MSME clinics, all of which are top on his agenda.
Alabi explained that under him, the institute will be prioritising financial inclusion and women empowerment, because of its realisation that women are often the primary financial managers and caregivers in families. Access to savings, micro-credit, and insurance acts as a safety net during crisis and allows them to significantly improve living conditions.
He added that CIBN would be happy to drive joint knowledge sharing and exchange sessions with CBN and ACAMB across various platforms. “Educating the public through public awareness programmes, with ACAMB as the rallying point, is central to what we do,” he noted.
ACAMB President, Jide Sipe, who led the delegation, spoke in unison with the CIBN president, as he noted that, closing the inbalances in financial access help economies grow faster, reduces inequality, and encourages greater civic participation by all.
Lagos State has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to establish a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Registry, a move aimed at strengthening climate governance, improving emissions accountability and accelerating the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Lagos State Greenhouse Gas Registry (LGHGR) was unveiled at the Central Business District, Alausa, Ikeja, at a ceremony attended by Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for Health, members of the State Executive Council, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment, development partners, TPHG Technologies, the diplomatic and business communities, academics, civil society organisations and the media.
Describing the initiative as a landmark achievement in the state’s environmental sustainability drive, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, general manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), said the Registry marks a defining moment in Lagos’ climate action journey and reflects Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to building a resilient, climate-smart and environmentally sustainable economy.
According to Ajayi, the digital platform will enable the state to accurately measure, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions across key sectors, providing credible data to guide environmental policies and climate interventions.
He said the Registry would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve transparency and accountability, support national and international climate reporting obligations, unlock carbon market opportunities and boost investor confidence in Lagos’ environmental initiatives.
Ajayi also commended TPHG Technologies for providing the technical expertise that made the pioneering project possible.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Abayomi described the Registry as a major milestone that positions Lagos at the forefront of climate governance and emissions accountability in both Nigeria and Africa.
He noted that climate change has evolved into a significant public health and governance challenge, stressing that access to reliable emissions data would enable the state to formulate evidence-based policies, attract climate financing, strengthen resilience and accelerate its transition to a low-carbon economy.
Providing insights into the technical framework of the project, Dr. Mofoluso Fagbeja, lead consultant and chief executive officer, TPHG Technologies, explained that the Registry was developed from the greenhouse gas inventory jointly undertaken by LASEPA and TPHG Technologies in 2022, using 2019 as the baseline year for emissions assessment.
He said the platform is designed to close critical emissions data gaps, particularly within the industrial sector, while supporting effective climate policy implementation, emissions management and sustainable development.
Fagbeja also disclosed that the greenhouse gas inventory estimated that poor air quality contributes to about 35,000 premature deaths annually in Lagos, underscoring the urgent need for stronger emissions control measures and cleaner environmental practices.
In a goodwill message, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, minister of Environment, represented by Mrs. Adenaike Olunimpe Oludunni, federal controller of Environment in Lagos, commended Lagos State for pioneering the initiative, describing it as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s climate commitments.
He said the Registry aligns with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and supports the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan, while reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with Lagos State on climate governance and environmental sustainability.
A recently released Henley Passport Index 2026, showed that Nigerian citizens can travel to at least 20 destinations outside the African continent where entry is allowed either visa-free, with a visa on arrival (VOA) at no extra cost, or via an e-visa.
This expanded access opens doors for Nigerian travellers to experience countries in the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond with greater ease.
Below is a comprehensive guide to countries outside Africa which Nigerian passport holders can visit without a traditional visa.
Visa-Free Countries outside Africa for Nigerian Passport Holders:
Barbados
Cambodia – Visa on arrival
Comoros Islands – Visa on arrival
Cook Islands
Dominica
Fiji
Haiti
Iran – Visa on arrival
Kiribati
Lebanon
Maldives – Visa on arrival
Micronesia
Montserrat
Niue – Visa on arrival
Palau Islands – Visa on arrival
Samoa – Visa on arrival
St. Kitts and Nevis
Timor-Leste – Visa on arrival
Tuvalu
Vanuatuul
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