African leaders meet amidst global trade tensions
Friday, June 27, 2025 | 20 Views |
Kicking off: Delegates arrive at the Afreximbank Annual Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria PIC: MBONGENI MGUNI
At least 6,000 delegates from across the continent and the Caribbean are meeting this week in the Nigerian capital, hosted by Afreximbank, the pan-African trade bank with assets exceeding $40 billion.
The annual meeting comes under the shadow of increasing global uncertainty, particularly the blanket tariffs threatened by the United States which could kick off early next month imposing levies of up to 50% on African exports to that country.
It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...