The African Club, also known as the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI), has recently appointed Samaila Zubairu as its new Chairperson. Zubairu, who is currently the President and CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), will be taking over from Prof. Benedict Oramah, the founding Chair of AAMFI and President of Afreximbank.
The announcement was made during the fifth meeting of the AAMFI Governing Council, which took place on the sidelines of the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 16th February 2025. In addition to Zubairu’s appointment, Dr. Corneille Karekezi, Group Managing Director and CEO of Africa Re Corporation, and Mr. Manuel Moses, CEO of ATIDI, were named as the first and second Vice Chairpersons of the AAMFI Governing Council, respectively.
AAMFI was established in 2024 with the aim of promoting sustainable economic growth and financial self-reliance in Africa. The alliance brings together leading multilateral financial institutions on the continent to strengthen collaboration, mobilize capital for development, and advocate for Africa’s economic interests globally. Under Prof. Oramah’s leadership, AAMFI saw significant achievements, including the admission of three new members, bringing the total membership to ten institutions.
In his statement during the handover ceremony, Prof. Oramah expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead AAMFI and highlighted the organization’s role in shaping discussions around African multilateral and development finance. He emphasized the importance of continuing the work to achieve Africa’s financial sovereignty and prosperity.
As the new Chairperson, Zubairu will focus on strengthening partnerships among member institutions, African governments, and global agencies to build a robust financial architecture. His agenda includes prioritizing youth empowerment, strategic investments in infrastructure, and developing capital markets to enhance intra-African investment. He also plans to advocate for cross-border capital mobilization and early warning systems to ensure Africa’s economic resilience.
Zubairu’s leadership at AFC has been instrumental in mobilizing capital for infrastructure, industrialization, and trade across Africa. Under his stewardship, AFC has doubled assets invested to $15 billion and expanded its membership to include 44 countries, representing 80% of African nations.
Members of AAMFI commended Prof. Oramah for his successful leadership and pledged their support to Zubairu as the new Chairperson. The alliance consists of ten member institutions, including AFC, Afreximbank, TDB Group, Africa Re, ATIDI, SHAFDB, ZEP-RE, EADB, ASF, and FEDA.
For more information about AAMFI, please contact communications@aamfi.africa. AAMFI aims to promote collaboration, cooperation, and coordination among its members to support Africa’s sustainable economic development and integration objectives. The alliance was launched in collaboration with the African Union Commission in February 2024, with a collective balance sheet of over US$70 billion deployed to address trade, investment, and development gaps in Africa.
