On 14 September 2026, G-NEXID held its 21st Annual General Assembly Meeting at the Manotel Hotel Royal in Geneva under the theme: “Scaling South-South Trade and Development Finance through Strategic Partnerships.”
Convened in G-NEXID’s 20th anniversary year, the Assembly brought together public development banks, export credit agencies and international organisations to strengthen cooperation, promote practical financing solutions and identify concrete opportunities for South-South and triangular cooperation.
In his opening remarks, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, Honorary President of G-NEXID and President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), called for dialogue to be translated into action. He underscored the potential of co-financing, risk-sharing and knowledge exchange to scale South-South trade and sustainable development. The opening was followed by an institutional segment marking two decades of G-NEXID cooperation, reflecting on the Network’s evolution, achievements and priorities for the coming period.
The High-Level Dialogue between Public Development Banks and Strategic Partners brought together representatives of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV), the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the OECD Development Centre and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Moderated by Mr. Mohammed Awami, Head of Specialized Finance at NEXIM Bank, the discussion examined ways to expand access to trade finance, mobilise public and private capital, strengthen productive capacities and regional value chains, and foster an enabling environment for trade and investment. The exchange highlighted the role of guarantees, blended finance, co-financing and other risk-sharing mechanisms in addressing persistent financing gaps.
Building on these discussions, the session on Partnership Opportunities for South-South and Triangular Cooperation focused on actionable opportunities across infrastructure and energy, industrialisation and regional value chains, agri-business and food security, SMEs, sustainable finance, and digitalisation and financial innovation. Contributions from Afreximbank, DBSA, India Exim Bank, SERV explored potential collaboration on transaction pipelines, project preparation, technical assistance, financing and risk-sharing solutions.
Moreover, the Secretariat facilitated 14 pre-arranged bilateral business and partnership meetings to help convert these discussions into institution-to-institution follow-up.
During the statutory meeting, members formally adopted the 2025 financial statements and received the interim activity and financial reports for 2026. They also reviewed the work programme for October-December 2026, including a forthcoming online training programme on the role of development banks in financing sustainable energy development. Members considered the broad orientations for the 2027 work programme and mandated the Honorary Presidency and the Secretariat to examine options for the next Annual Meeting and report back to members. Membership fees were maintained at their current level.
The Assembly concluded with a networking reception and the official launch of G-NEXID’s flagship publication, Strengthening Trade and Related Finance for the Global South. Bringing together contributions from G-NEXID members, the publication examines South-South trade, the trade-finance ecosystem and its financing gaps, the additionality of public development banks and EXIM banks, and the integration of sustainability into trade finance.
The meeting provided a strong platform for G-NEXID members and partners to deepen cooperation and pursue practical initiatives in support of inclusive, sustainable and resilient trade and development finance.
