Global Trade, Finance Leaders To Headline Access Bank’s Africa Trade Conference 2025
By Sunday Etuka, Abuja
Some of the most influential voices in global trade and finance would take centre stage at the Access Bank’s inaugural Africa Trade Conference 2025 (ATC 2025), a statement on Tuesday the bank has disclosed.
Access Bank said the conference which would be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), South Africa has lined up notable speakers including H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank); Dr. Marc Auboin, Counsellor at the World Trade Organisation (WTO); and Solomon Quaynor, Vice President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
It said under the theme “Empowering Africa: Driving Trade, Innovation, and Sustainable Prosperity”, the event would bring together global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to shape the future of trade and economic transformation across the continent.
The bank said Mene would deliver the keynote address, focusing on how the AfCFTA can drive economic growth and industrialisation across Africa. Awani would examine the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s trade landscape, while Dr. Auboin would explore the impact of digitisation and innovation on the continent’s global trade potential.
According to the bank, the conference would also feature insights from Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank Plc, along with executives from Access Bank’s subsidiaries in Angola, South Africa, and the UK.
It said the panel discussions and expert sessions would explore key themes, including trade facilitation, the role of finance in industrial growth, and the intersection of trade and environmental sustainability.
Access bank revealed that Solomon Quaynor would offer a forward-looking perspective on trade facilitation and its impact on economic growth. Meanwhile, Tanya Dos Santos-Ford, Faculty Lead on Climate Leadership and Sustainability at GIBS Business School, would underscore the growing importance of sustainability in Africa’s evolving trade ecosystem.
The conference would also feature an impressive line-up of industry leaders, comprising, Eduardo Barbosa, Chief Financial Officer, Grupo Naval; Olumide Olatunji, Managing Director, Access Bank Ghana; Florian Wicht, Regional Lead Africa, Trade & Supply Chain Finance, IFC; Ricardo Ferreira, Managing Director, Access Bank Angola; Johnson Ememandu, Head of Commercial Bank, Access Bank UK; Marcelo Mendes, Head of Commercial, Tennant Metals South Africa (Pty) Ltd; and Kristina Holzhauser, Managing Director, Regional FI Africa & Middle East, Commerzbank AG;
Others include: Ferdinand Zaumu, Managing Director, Head of Trade & Working Capital Solutions, Middle East and Africa, Citibank; Shyamasish Acharya, Resident Representative, India EXIM Bank; Lodewyk Meyer, Director, Banking and Finance, OWP Partners; Srividya Subramanian, Global Head Sales and Origination, Traydstream; Alfred Idialu, Managing Director, Head of International Banking Sales Africa, Oddo-BHF Bank; Andreas Voss, Chief Representative Officer, Deutsche Bank AG; and Imohimi Aig-Imoukhuede, Chief Executive Officer, Fiducia Data Services.
