{"id":7749,"date":"2026-07-14T11:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stakebridgeirpr.com\/media\/?p=7749"},"modified":"2026-07-14T11:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:17:16","slug":"afreximbank-drives-saatm-growth-through-aviation-finance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stakebridgeirpr.com\/media\/afreximbank-drives-saatm-growth-through-aviation-finance\/","title":{"rendered":"Afreximbank Drives SAATM Growth Through Aviation Finance"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Hannah Yemisi<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), led by Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade & Export Development, recently participated in the inaugural African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026 in Lom\u00e9, Togo, alongside policymakers, regulators, development finance institutions and industry leaders to accelerate implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). The delegation included Gainmore Zanamwe, Director, Trade Facilitation & Investment Promotion; Helen Brume, Director, Project and Asset-Based Finance; Nene Addo, Senior Manager, Project and Asset-Based Finance; and Chisom Ozoemena-Ezeaku, Assistant Manager, Trade Facilitation & Investment Promotion. During the convention, Afreximbank showcased the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the Global Africa Leasing Company and Free Route Airspace, while hosting a workshop on aviation investment, financing, governance, human capital development and strategic partnerships. The convention concluded with the adoption of the Lom\u00e9 Declaration, reaffirming support for a more connected, affordable and competitive African aviation ecosystem under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Agenda 2063.<\/p>\n

DECISION HIGHLIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Afreximbank is positioning aviation finance as a strategic instrument for accelerating continental trade integration, moving beyond policy advocacy towards financing the infrastructure and institutional frameworks required for SAATM implementation.<\/p>\n

DECISION MEMO <\/strong><\/p>\n

The composition of Afreximbank’s delegation, bringing together expertise in trade facilitation, investment promotion and project finance through Awani, Zanamwe, Brume, Addo and Ozoemena-Ezeaku, illustrates that the bank views aviation integration as a multidisciplinary financing challenge rather than simply a transport policy issue. Africa’s aviation challenge increasingly reflects a financing and market integration gap rather than an infrastructure deficit alone. Afreximbank’s intervention indicates that successful implementation of SAATM will depend on coordinated capital deployment, payment interoperability and leasing solutions capable of lowering operating costs and improving aircraft accessibility.<\/p>\n

By combining financial instruments with trade facilitation platforms such as PAPSS, the bank is attempting to reduce structural frictions that continue to limit cross-border air connectivity. The emphasis on governance, investment partnerships and human capital also suggests recognition that regulatory harmonisation alone cannot produce a competitive continental aviation market.<\/p>\n

The adoption of the Lom\u00e9 Declaration strengthens political commitment, but its economic significance will ultimately depend on translating declarations into bankable aviation projects and commercially sustainable regional air networks.<\/p>\n

DATA BOX<\/strong><\/p>\n