Afreximbank hunts for local staff
…as US$80m ATC set to begin operations in Zim
AFREXIMBANK is on the hunt for a labour brokerage firm to provide key professionals as the pan African bank is set to commence operations of its US$80 million African Trade Centre (ATC) in Harare.
Construction of the ATC complex, which will include corporate office space, a hotel, a conference and exhibition centre and other ancillary facilities, will be completed next year.
“To support the operations of the ATC and hotel, the bank requires the services of a labour brokerage, manpower and outsourcing company. The company shall source, supply, pay and retain a consistent, highly competent, qualified, skilled, well remunerated and motivated team of outsourced personnel to be seconded to the ATC and hotel,” Afreximbank said in a call for expression of interest.
“The outsourced personnel shall provide a range of services including guest management, accounting, administration, sales and marketing, front office management, events management, operations and maintenance, housekeeping, stores management, catering and security.”
Companies must express their interest by March 29.
Zimbabwe and Nigeria were in 2019 selected by Afreximbank to host the first ATCs.
This saw Zimbabwe donating the land for the construction of the ATC which is set to change Harare’s skyline.
Other ATCs will be built in Egypt (North Africa) and Uganda (East Africa).
The centre, located along 7th Street in Harare, is also set to accommodate other regional, continental, and global financial and development institutions. ATC will facilitate the flow of trade information and provide trade services across the Southern African region.
Once operational, the ATC will help make Harare an intra-African trade hub and support the city’s rejuvenation as an important centre for financial services.
Meanwhile, Afreximbank’s Caribbean office has made its first disbursement after a US$6 million education rehabilitation climatelinked sovereign term loan facility to the government of St. Lucia through its Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Youth Economy.
The facility is a pilot by Afreximbank for its financing in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region following the approval granted by the bank’s board of directors for a US$1,5 billion limit for member states of the CARICOM. The facility will help in the infrastructure rehabilitation of St. Lucia, including 25 schools damaged during tropical storm Bret which affected the country in June last year. Afreximbank president and board chairperson Benedict Oramah, said the facility highlighted the bank’s unwavering commitment to supporting member states during times of crises, ensuring financial stability.
“The facility underscores our proactive approach to addressing economic challenges and our commitment to joint efforts to close funding gaps, as well as promote trade and investments between Africa and the Caribbean,” Oramah said. “We are proud to have played a pivotal role in this achievement which stands to make significant contribution to St Lucia’s socioeconomic development.”
St. Lucia recently signed and ratified the Afreximbank Partnership Agreement.
Afreximbank has been pushing to expand into the Caribbean in line with its Diaspora Strategy and the African Union’s designation of the African Diaspora as the continent’s sixth region.
This gave birth to the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum which debuted in Barbados in 2022. The second edition was held in Guyana last year. Afreximbank will this year hold it annual meetings and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum in The Bahamas.