Kanayo Awani
Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank | Afreximbank
Mrs. Kanayo Awani is the Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank (IATB) at Afreximbank. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nigeria (Enugu Campus) and a Master of Public Administration in International Trade and Finance from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, USA. She is also a recipient of the Edward S. Mason Fellowship in Public Policy and Management from Harvard.
Mrs. Awani has garnered extensive banking experience with Citigroup in Nigeria, serving for nearly 17 years and leaving as the Vice President and Head of Industrial & Commercial Corporates before joining Afreximbank in 2009. As the Executive Vice President, she provides strategic and operational leadership in implementing the Bank's Intra-African trade and industrialization objectives, in support of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Under her leadership, the Bank’s support for the AfCFTA negotiations led to the historic signing of the Agreement in Kigali in March 2018. Committed to the industrialization of Africa, Mrs. Awani has championed various initiatives, including the development and expansion of Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zones across the continent. Her efforts were also instrumental in the harmonization of standards in pharmaceuticals and medical consumables during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, she led the development of the African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme to facilitate cross-border trade and championed innovative programmes such as the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), which has allocated a $1 billion facility to finance and support several sectors. Mrs. Awani has actively promoted Africa-Caribbean trade and investment flows by directing the Bank's Diaspora Strategy in accordance with the African Union (AU) agenda for the 6th Region. Since Mrs. Awani joined Afreximbank in 2009, she has supported the growth of the Bank from total assets of US$1.4bn to approximately $30 billion in 2022.
One of her noteworthy initiatives, the "Intra-Africa Trade Fair," also known as the “AfCFTA Marketplace,” has attracted over 40,000 attendees and facilitated deals worth more than US$75 billion. Recognizing her outstanding leadership and dedication to African trade,
Mrs. Awani has been honored with numerous accolades by various organizations, including:
Named as a Top 100 Most Influential Person of African Descent by MIPAD, 2020.
Recognized as one of the 100 Leading Nigerian Women in the 2022 edition of “Nigeria Women Annual: 100 Leading Women.”
Conferred the Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS) Woman Leader Award, 2022.
Featured among Forbes Afrique’s list of “The 50 Most Influential African Women,” 2023.
Received the African Economic Integration Champion Award at the 13th Africa Economy Builders Forum & Awards, 2023.
Recently proclaimed Africa Inspirational Personality of the Year by the Africa Women Impact Summit (AWIS).
Received the Empowering Women Award at the 2023 Rebranding Africa Forum 2023.
Mrs. Awani is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and currently serves as the Chairperson of the Africa Chapter of FCI, a global factoring association.
