The Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM) today opened its two-day 10th Anniversary International Conference in Accra, marking a decade since the bank’s establishment under Act 911 in 2016 with a call for sharper policy execution, stronger export partnerships, and measurable industrial transformation in the decade ahead.
The conference, running today and tomorrow at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, convened government officials, development finance institutions, private sector leaders and international partners under the theme “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang delivered a special address exploring geopolitical opportunities and challenges facing Ghana’s export agenda in a shifting global trade environment. Her address came as the government seeks to reframe Ghana’s economic direction toward greater value addition and reduced dependence on unprocessed commodity exports.
Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama participated in a fireside chat focused on exchange rate stability as a foundation for export competitiveness, a conversation that carries added weight following Ghana’s recent macroeconomic recovery and the cedi’s gradual stabilisation over the past year.
Day one’s sessions addressed the role of export-import banks in national trade competitiveness, the evolving landscape of development finance institutions in Africa, unlocking access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through guarantees and risk-mitigation tools, and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms in export finance.
The conference also witnessed the formal signing of memorandums of understanding with key industry partners, strengthening collaboration ties across priority sectors. An accompanying exhibition was officially opened, showcasing enterprises that have received GEXIM financing over the past decade.
GEXIM Chief Executive Officer Sylvester Mensah, who delivered a keynote on the bank’s strategic vision, has previously described 2026 as a critical turning point, with the bank’s five-year strategic plan for 2025 to 2030 entering full implementation this year. The conference is designed to produce practical recommendations, not ceremonial resolutions, that guide GEXIM’s medium-term positioning.
Tomorrow’s sessions will turn to opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), patient capital mobilisation for MSME growth, sector panels on garments and apparel, and the use of poultry investment to reduce import dependence.
