To celebrate our corporate donor African Export-Import Bank's (Afreximbank) first year of philanthropy, we spoke with Stephen Tio Kauma, Group Managing Director of Human Resources. Corporate donations like those from Afreximbank are essential in underpinning the success of our operations, empowering us to fulfil our mission and vision. Their generous support has been instrumental in allowing us to continue delivering our unique multidisciplinary residency in Nigeria, which has garnered the attention of creative practitioners locally, from the diaspora, and further afield across the globe. Discover more about Afreximbank, the motivation behind its support for the creative industries, and the lasting impact the Bank hopes to make on the world.
Where is Afreximbank based and what are your creative industry priorities?
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt and has regional offices in various locations: Harare, Zimbabwe (opened in November 1996); Abuja, Nigeria (opened in January 2003), Abidjan Côte D’Ivoire (opened in August 2015); Kampala, Uganda (opened in September 2019); Yaoundé́, Cameroon (opened in September 2021) and a representative office for the Caribbean Community in Bridgetown, Barbados (opened in August 2023).
Afreximbank recognises the potential of the Creative Industry in driving trade and socio-economic development in Africa on the understanding that economic transformation in Africa cannot be achieved meaningfully without accompanying social transformation. Therefore, Afreximbank created two channels of intervention for this purpose, the Afreximbank Art Programme (AFAP) and the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX).
Stephen Tio Kauma, Group Managing Director, Human Resources at Afreximbank with Y.S.F. and G.A.S. Foundaer Yinka Shonibare CBE RA.
The Bank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) initiative is a global platform to catalyse the transformation of the continent’s culture and creative industries and to position them as principal sources of job and wealth creation and drivers of Africa’s long-term economic development. CANEX strategy is implemented through several key instruments: financing, capacity building, export and investment promotion, linkages & partnerships, digital solutions, and policy advocacy across all the verticals of the arts, including visual arts, literary arts, fashion and design, music, film and craft.
In 2019, Afreximbank launched the Afreximbank Art Programme (AFAP) to support and facilitate the preservation and marketability of Africa’s classical, modern, and contemporary art. The vision of Afreximbank’s Art Programme is to preserve, collect and showcase African art in its corporate offices, to support the nexus between the Bank’s art programme and its creative industry strategy and to help raise the visibility of Africa’s creative talent.
What inspired the Afreximbank Art Programme to support Yinka Shonibare and his Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation in Lagos?
The values of Yinka Shonibare’s work and the Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation aligns with the objectives of CANEX and AFAP, which are to transform the continent’s cultural and creative industries through the use of global resources and partnerships to economically empower Africans on the continent and the diaspora. Through meaningful interventions, the Bank provides tangible support in developing an ecosystem that supports and encourages education and knowledge production, promotes Pan-African exchange and collaboration and empowers the career development of art practitioners.
The G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive, G.A.S. Lagos. Photographer: Andrew Esiebo.
How important is corporate philanthropy in building centres of excellence across Africa and beyond?
Art patronage is vital in building centres of excellence across Africa and beyond by providing financial support, fostering innovation, and enhancing community development. Corporations invest in infrastructure, skill development, and research, ensuring sustainability and advancements in various fields. Through public-private partnerships and global networks, they connect local centres with international resources and expertise. These efforts lead to economic growth, improved quality of life, and enhanced corporate reputation and brand loyalty.
The Great Room, G.A.S. Lagos' multifunctional studio and event space. Photographer: Andrew Esiebo.
What’s the lasting impression or legacy that Afreximbank would like to leave the world with?
The key mandate for the Bank as a multilateral development finance institution is to ‘Transform Africa Through Trade’. This is through various interventions delivered through three primary channels; lending, risk bearing & guarantees services and advisory & trade information services. We see our key legacy at Afreximbank as one where the impact of our interventions is felt across Africa and its diaspora, driving the growth of intra-African trade to at least 50% and increasing Africa's share of global trade to at least 15%.