Over 250 Sub-Sovereign government leaders from across Africa are today meeting in Kisumu, Kenya, for the the fourth edition of the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) Conference. Taking place between the 25^th and 27^th of November, the event provides a platform for Sub-Sovereign leaders and businesses to discuss how their local governments can attract investments in the region in order foster and accelerate inclusive growth and development.

Organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the County Government of Kisumu and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), the conference’s overarching theme is ‘Leveraging the AfCFTA for Sustainable Trade and Investment: A Development Pathway for African Sub-Sovereigns’. The event’s main objectives include strengthening the role of Africa’s Sub-Sovereign governments in driving intra-African trade and investment, and the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Africa’s Sub-Sovereign governments, comprising states, counties, provinces, municipalities and regional authorities, play a critical role in economic development of African countries. According to the African Union, Africa’s economic outlook is projected at 3.7% GDP growth in 2024, slightly higher than the global average of 3.2%. This growth elevates the integral role of Sub Sovereign governments for African economies and its people.

Understanding this, Afreximbank has committed USD $2 billion for these critical actors, to support these governments and businesses in African countries.

While delivering his keynote address at the AfSNET conference in Kisumu, Kenya, H. E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya acknowledged the Bank’s support for African governments including Kenya:

“I want to thank Professor Benedict Oramah for making time to join us for this conference. Your presence here is yet another example of the unique approaches that the Bank, under your leadership, employs in order to deepen its footprint by engaging with shareholders throughout the continent, including sub-national entities like Africities, and devolved governments like Kisumu. Afreximbank has consistently demonstrated innovative approaches in advancing credit to African governments and the public sector while facilitating deeper collaboration among sub-Saharan nations and Kenya is an example. This spirit of innovation aligns seamlessly with the aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area, creating a dynamic network of ambitious, future ready institutions and governments. Such collaborations will drive transformative engagements at the grassroots level, enabling Africa to achieve an unparalleled position in the global value chains and make substantial contributions to their bottom-up transformation.”

Speaking on the importance of the conference, President Ruto noted: “By promoting peer to peer learning, this forum strengthens cooperation among Sub-Sovereign governments. And devolution, a tremendous innovation established under Kenya’s 2010 constitution, has evolved into an exemplary success story that Kenyans are very proud of, as it has brought services closer to the people, empowered grassroot participation in government, safeguarded minority rights and enhanced equity in resource mobilization and allocation.”

Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, commented:

“The African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) initiative thrives due to the concerted efforts and unwavering commitment of partners who recognise the tremendous potential of sub-sovereign governments as the engines for broad-based economic development that extends to the grassroots of our societies. At Afreximbank, we strongly believe that for developmental initiatives to succeed in our economies, they must, of necessity, be decentralized; development needs must originate and flow from the periphery towards the centre. In alignment with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), we are passionately implementing the AfSNET initiative to promote intra-regional trade and investment. We collectively recognize that cities, states, and provinces within a nation exhibit remarkable diversity—differing in population sizes, resource endowments, skill sets, and sectoral specializations.”

Professor Oramah continued that this conference is a key prelude to the upcoming Intra Africa Trade Fair (IATF2025) scheduled to take place from 4 to 10 September 2025 in Algiers, Algeria, and delegates are welcomed to contribute to the discourse that can be elevated at the IATF2025.

AfSNET was established by Afreximbank as a platform for promoting intra-African trade and investment, educational and cultural exchanges and the fostering of effective engagement among sub-sovereigns in Africa’s development and prosperity in the context of the AfCFTA.

Media Contact:
Vincent Musumba
Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
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About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. For 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa's trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank's total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody's (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, "the Group"). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

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About UCLG Africa (UCLG Africa (United Cities and Local Governments of Africa):
The umbrella organization for African local governments, was founded in 2005 in the City of Tshwane, South Africa as a result of the unification of three continental groups of local governments, namely the African Union of Local Authorities (AULA); the Union des Villes Africaines (UVA); and the Africa Chapter of the União das Ciudades e Capitães Lusófonas Africanas, (UCCL AFRICA). The founding congress of the organization was held in May 2005 in the city of Tshwane, South Africa. UCLG Africa brings together 51 national associations of local and regional governments from all regions of Africa, as well as 2,000 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. UCLG Africa represents over 350 million African citizens. A founding member of the world organization UCLG, UCLG Africa is the regional representative for Africa with its headquarters based in Rabat, capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, where it enjoys diplomatic status as a Pan-African International Organization. It also has regional offices on the continent.