The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has announced the President of the African Export-Import Bank, Professor Benedict Okechukwu Oramah, as Keynote Speaker for the 14th Commencement Ceremony on May 27. Oramah, who holds a 1991 Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, is a Professor of International Trade and Finance.
Professor Oramah will join an elite class of AUN's Commencement Keynote Speakers which in recent times has included the United States ambassador to Nigeria, Her Excellency Ms. Mary Beth Leonard, and Nigeria's illustrious President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Interim President of AUN, Professor Attahir Yusuf, who announced Professor Oramah's choice described him as a leading expert in his field with over three decades of experience in international trade and finance.
"Professor Oramah has written over 30 articles on various African economic and trade-related topics, many of which have been published in leading international journals". In October 2008, he was appointed Executive Vice President of the Bank, a position he held until he was appointed President of Afreximbank at the 22nd Annual General Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in June 2015.
The African Export-Import Bank was established in 1993 under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB) by African Governments, African private and institutional investors, and non-African financial institutions and private sectors. It is headquartered in Cairo and operates branches from Abuja, Abidjan, Harare, Kampala, and Yaoundé.