On December 7, 2021, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) officially launched the project to build the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE). 4 years on, the building looks great. On 11 February 2025, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank, Benedict Oramah, accompanied by several of the country’s authorities, went to assess the state of progress of the work, which has been financed by AfreximBank to the tune of 750 million US dollars.
An architectural jewel, the African Medical Centre of Excellence in Kabousa, some twenty kilometres from Abuja, the capital of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is looking its best four months before its inauguration. Construction of the African Medical Centre of Excellence, which began in December 2021, aims to provide world-class healthcare not only to the people of Nigeria, but also to the entire African continent.
We are very happy that this will help us, as Africans, to pay more attention to the research that concerns us, to the research that is neglected, to the diseases that affect Africans and that are ignored. We are also very happy and proud to be building a foundation, sowing a seed that will also enable medicines to be tested here on the continent.
Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank – Nigeria
With the aim of improving the quality of healthcare in Nigeria and the whole of West Africa, the African medical centre of excellence will offer a full range of medical services in oncology, haematology, cardiology, traumatology and many others. On 11 February 2025, a delegation led by the President of AfreximBank and the Nigerian authorities visited the construction site to assess the quality and progress of the work.
Nigeria had to bid for this centre, which will be the first of five in Africa, but it’s incredible. You know, in terms of tertiary medical services, I think this centre will be able to compete with the rest of the world in offering every Nigerian, whatever their socio-economic status, the best in clinical excellence, the best in research and development excellence, the best in diagnostic testing.
TOYIN SARAKI, Former First Lady of Kwara State – Nigeria
Estimated to cost around USD 750 million, the African Medical Centre of Excellence will, according to some experts, be a global reference point and a source of medical tourism in the region. The AMCE will create 3,000 jobs, boost intra-African trade in medical services and strengthen key supply chains in pharmaceuticals and healthcare provision. The centre is expected to provide healthcare to more than 50,000 people per year. It is due to open in June 2025, prior to the 32nd Annual Meeting of AfreximBank.
