The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a pan-African multilateral trade finance agency based in Cairo, Egypt, is planning to build an African Medical Center of Excellence in Abuja.
This was disclosed during a visit to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) by a bank delegation led by Professor Benedict O. Oramah, President and Chairman, Board of Directors.
Receiving the delegation,Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),expressed his enthusiasm for the project.
He explained that the establishment of the Medical Centre in Abuja will not only attract people seeking medical attention from across the African continent to the Center, but also reduce medical tourism from Nigeria.
He added:“We feel highly honoured with your tangible presence in respect of the projects you are doing here, and we look forward to your investments either directly or as an enabler because, as you know, Abuja itself is a city that started from scratch and is still a work in progress,” Malam Bello said, praising Afreximbank for its various projects and investments in the FCT. As a result, we need enablers like you.”
He also urged the bank to assist the FCT Administration with infrastructure development, particularly in the proposed location of the Medical Centre of Excellence and the powering of street and traffic lights around the city.
He spoke on electricity generation and possible areas of support from the bank, saying that the Nigerian laws made provisions for the Eligible Customer that consumes electricity in excess of 2 megawatts to independently source for electricity.
He expressed that the FCT could explore this possibility with support from the bank.
He said” The power laws in Nigeria now allows for what we call Eligible Customer. Once your consumption is up to two megawatts and obviously the consumption of the city is far above two megawatts, that allows us to create a solution that is off grid, and then of course we look at renewable options”.
In his earlier remarks, Afreximbank’s President, Professor Benedict Oramah said the bank’s team was in the FCTA to brief the Minister on the progress made on the construction of the African Medical Center of Excellence and the African Trade Center in Abuja.
He also commended the FCT Minister for the tremendous support the bank has enjoyed from the FCTA, especially as it begins to implement some of its initiatives in Nigeria that are based in Abuja.
Speaking on the establishment of the Medical Center, the Bank’s Director Export Development and Ag. Director Project and Asset Based Finance, Oluranti Doherty said that the bank was working closely with leading international medical, human resource and construction consultants and expressed optimism that the ground breaking ceremony will be carried out by November of 2021.
