PAWA commends Afreximbank’s support for the book industry
By Editor
THE Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) has commended African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) for its pivotal role in the empowerment of stakeholders in the book industry. Making this commendation was the Secretary General of PAWA Dr. Wale Okediran at Ghana Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2025 Business Roadshow, organized by Afreximbank and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which took place in Accra, Ghana on June 10, 2025.
The event which had high-level government officials, captains of industry and partners as well as executives from both African institutions in attendance was one of the planned business roadshows in Nairobi, Accra, Johannesburg and Lagos, leading to the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF 2025) that will be held in Algiers, Algeria from September 4 – 10, 2025.
Dr. Okediran who was a panelist during the roadshow which featured speeches, a panel discussions and comprehensive presentation on the IATF 2025 from industry experts and leaders as well as networking sessions, confirmed that Afeximbank will be supporting African publishers and writers in some of their activities during the forthcoming IATF 2025 in Algeria.
He emphasized that this kind of investment in the book industry by the bank will go a long way in the promotion of regional cultural diplomacy as well as the economic transformation of Africa’s book industry. While commending Afreximbank for its laudable gesture, PAWA’s scribe charged the bank and other financial institutions to further assist stakeholders in the book industry in the areas of capacity building, digital publishing, film adaptations of books, multilingual book productions as well as improvement in Intra-African and International Trade for books.
Established in October 1993 by African governments, Africa’s private and institutional investors as well as non-African investors, Afreximbank’s mission is to finance and promote intra- and extra- African trade.
Secretary General, Pan-African Writers Association, Dr. Wale Okediran (left); Manager, Creatives and Diaspora, Afreximbank, Khanyi Mashimbye and the Executive Director, APNET, Mr. Ernest Oppong at the event in Accra, Ghana
