Benedict Oramah, the President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), was honored with the Forbes Africa Magazine 2023 Person of The Year Award on Monday in Cairo.
The award ceremony, attended by a significant audience, included the unveiling of the cover for Forbes Africa’s December 2023/January 2024 edition, featuring Oramah as the cover personality. Rakesh Wahi, Forbes Africa founder and publisher, along with Roberta Naicker, managing director, highlighted that the award acknowledged the remarkable achievements of prominent Africans contributing to the development of the continent.
Benedict Oramah
Renuka Methil, Managing Editor of Forbes Africa, described Benedict Oramah as a true pan-Africanist with a career spanning three decades at Afreximbank. Methil emphasized Oramah’s stellar track record, enthusiasm, passion, and contributions to the economic development of Africa. She pointed out initiatives such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), a historic project for cross-border payments in local African currencies, launched under his visionary leadership.
Nominations for the Forbes Africa Person of the Year are submitted by members of the magazine’s editorial and research teams, including journalists from its bureaus across Africa. Oramah’s name was shortlisted and unanimously adjudged the winner for 2023 after an Africa-wide review of prominent contributors to the continent.
With this award, Benedict Oramah joins a prestigious list of high achievers who have previously received the honor, including Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Group; Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank; Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Group; Mohammed Dewji, President of MeTL Group; and Thuli Madonsela, former Public Protector of South Africa.
In addition to the Forbes Africa Person of the Year Award, Oramah received the Zik Prize in Professional Leadership on November 18 at an event in Lagos, Nigeria. He has also been honored with numerous other awards for his contributions to the development and promotion of trade in Africa and for championing initiatives to drive intra-African trade.
