On 24 October 2025, during the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Farewell and Investiture Ceremony in Cairo, Gagan Gupta, Founder and CEO of ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), commended Professor Benedict Oramah, outgoing President of Afreximbank, for his visionary leadership and commitment to industrialising Africa. He highlighted Afreximbank’s US$450 million financing facility to ARISE IIP, which supports the development of industrial parks and special economic zones in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi.
On 24 October 2025, during the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Farewell and Investiture Ceremony in Cairo, Egypt, Gagan Gupta, Founder and CEO of ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), commended Professor Benedict Oramah, outgoing President of Afreximbank, for his visionary leadership and commitment to industrialising Africa. Gupta praised the Bank for pioneering the continent’s industrial transformation through its Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zones Initiative, describing it as a cornerstone of Africa’s economic diversification. Projects under this initiative including Malawi’s Magwero Industrial Park and Kenya’s Vipingo Special Economic Zone, are expected to create over 32,000 direct and 138,000 indirect jobs.
It all started with timber in Gabon, the first industrial zone that Arise IIP set up, Gabon Special Economic Zone. Today, the zone processes 2 million meter cubes of timber, which is about 50% of the country’s timber. And what is the result? Gabon has now become the largest exporter of vineyard globally, third largest for plywood, and fourth largest for sawn. The Gabon exports are now being exported to US, to Europe, as far as New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina, and all in a span of less than 10 years.Gagan Gupta, Founder and CEO of ARISE – India
Gagan Gupta highlighted Afreximbank US$450 million financing facility to ARISE IIP, which supports the development of industrial parks and special economic zones in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi. Beyond financing, the Afreximbank–ARISE IIP partnership reflects the Bank’s broader mission to make intra-African trade more competitive and inclusive.
The two institutions have, over a period of time, a continuous trust and commitment between us. Over the years, Afreximbank Bank has supported by providing financial support to our industrial projects, by supporting the group, by even facilitating acquisition of land, President Oramah himself you know, in Kenya, in Malawi, in short, that we get the industrial land. Over a period of last 10 years, we have borrowed over $1.5 billion from FE Exim and repaid over $1.2 billion. And that is the strength of the partnership. For me, this partnership truly defines words that follow action.
Gagan Gupta, Founder and CEO of ARISE – India
As Afreximbank transitions under Dr George Elombi’s leadership, the collaboration with ARISE IIP stands as a tangible example of trade-driven industrialisation, moving Africa from raw commodity exports to value-added economy.
