On the second day of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025), a symbolic tree-planting ceremony was held in Grenada to honour Professor Benedict Oramah, outgoing President of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com), for his enduring contributions to Africa-Caribbean relations.
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The Flamboyant tree, native to Madagascar but widely rooted across the Caribbean, was chosen for its beauty and symbolic resonance. Known for its brilliant red blooms, it is seen as a representation of vitality, peace, and the promise of growth, which echoes the very principles that have defined Oramah’s leadership.
Grenada’s Prime Minister, Hon. Dickon Mitchell led the tribute, praising Oramah’s transformational impact across the region.
“This symbolic but substantive planting of a Flamboyant tree, a tree which originates from Madagascar but has found its way to the Caribbean and adorns the landscape wherever you go, and when it blooms its beautiful red flowers inspire beauty, tranquility, and peace in all of us, is reflective of the significant role that you have played in ensuring that Global Africa can rise, can blossom, can bloom and can stand as a testament and a legacy for future generations,” Prime Minister Mitchell said.
In response, President Oramah expressed his deep gratitude to Grenada and the wider Caribbean community:
“As an agricultural economist, I know the value of a plant. In the food life cycle, it is the plant that stands as an anchor. As I join the Honourable Prime Minister in planting this tree, I am reminded that I have found a very deep anchor in Grenada and the CARICOM.”
Reflecting on the symbolism, he continued:
“A person who plants a tree must tend the tree, a person who plants a tree must come and harvest the tree, a person who plants the tree must always make sure that the tree lasts and lasts… That is why I regard this as that anchor that will bring me here and keep me here.”
“Africa is the cradle of civilisation. Africa has given the world life, and to use this tree planting to honour me means that you value the work we are doing to give life to people. I would like to reassure you that I will do whatever I can, until I’m not able to do anything, to keep us marching on– something I believe we are all committed to.”
The tree planting took place as ACTIF2025 enters its second day, bringing together high-level government officials, business leaders, and civil society from Africa and the Caribbean to deepen economic and cultural integration under the theme: “Resilience and Transformation: Enhancing Africa-Caribbean Economic Cooperation in an Era of Global Uncertainty.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.
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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com
