Benedict Okey Oramah


Benedict Okechukwu “Okey” Oramah GCON is a Nigerian economist who served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank. He was elected President of the African Export-Import Bank in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2020. He was suceeded by Cameroonian national, George Elombi appointed on June 28, 2025 at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings in Abuja, Nigeria

Biography

Early life and education

Benedict Okechukwu Oramah was born on 24 July 1961 to Chief Lazarus A. and Francisca U. Oramah in Ahoada, in present-day Rivers State of Nigeria. He is from Nnokwa town in Idemili South Local Government, Anambra State. He is the youngest of four children.
Oramah attended the Merchants of Light School in Oba before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan in 1983. He subsequently obtained his Masters degree and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Ife in the same field. Oramah holds an Advanced Management Certificate from Columbia Business School, New York.
In 2018, he was appointed a Professor of International Trade and Finance by Adeleke University, Nigeria.

Career

Oramah began his professional career at the Nigerian Export-Import Bank in 1992 as an Assistant Manager.
In March 1994, he joined African Export-Import Bank as one of the original employees. He has served in various roles in Afreximbank included serving as Chief Analyst, Assistant Director in 1998, Deputy Director in 2001, and substantive Director of the Planning and Business Development Department in 2004. He was promoted to Senior Director in 2007 and appointed Executive Vice President, Business Development and Corporate Banking in 2008.
On July 13, 2015, he succeeded Jean-Louis Ekra as the third President of Afreximbank. His leadership was reaffirmed with his reappointment for a second five-year term in 2020.
Under his leadership, Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary, the Fund for Export Development in Africa, and its insurance management arm, AfrexInsure. The group also includes several strategic subsidiaries and initiatives, such as MANSA, a repository platform for customer due diligence on African entities; the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System ; Creative African Nexus ; the African Medical Centre of Excellence ; the Intra-African Trade Fair ; and the Africa Quality Assurance Centre. During his tenure, the Bank's balance sheet assets have grown from $5 billion in 2015 to $37 billion in 2023.

Personal life

Oramah is married to Mrs. Chinelo Oramah. They have three daughters.

Board memberships

Oramah holds various leadership and board roles in several organizations and initiatives, including.

Awards and honours

Oramah has received recognitions for his contributions to business and African trade, including.

National honours

Foreign honours

Published works

A Path to Making Africa Great Again, New York University and Afreximbank, 2018Foundations of Structured Trade Finance, Wilmington, Ark Group Ltd., London, 2015Potentials for Diversifying Nigeria’s Non-Oil Exports to Non-Traditional Markets, Research Report 68, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, November 1997