Afreximbank constructs medical centre of excellence in FCT
From Abba – Eku Onyeka Abuja
All is set for the African Export Import Bank, (Afreximbank) to construct an African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral trade finance institution with headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
In a press release from the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), FCT Adminstration (FCTA), Anthony Ogunleye Saturday, made available to Nigerian NewsDirect, the latest development was made known during a visit by a delegation of the bank led by its President and Chairman, Board of Directors, Professor Benedict O. Oramah to the FCTA.
Receiving the delegation, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello expressed excitement about the project and said that establishment of the Medical Centre in Abuja would attract people seeking medical attention within the African continent to the Centre and reduce medical tourism from Nigeria. Commending Afreximbank for its various projects and investments in the FCT, the Minister however said that he felt honoured with projects they had been doing in FCT, even as he added that they were looking forward for their investments. He therefore urged the bank to support the FCTA in the provision of infrastructure, especially in the proposed location of the Medical Centre of Excellence as well as the powering of street and traffic lights within the city.
On electricity generation and possible areas of support from the bank, the Minister said that Nigerian laws made provisions for the Eligible Customer that consumes electricity in excess of 2 megawatts to independently source for electricity. He said that the FCT could explore this possibility with support from the bank.
Earlier, Afreximbank’s President, Professor Benedict Oramah said the bank’s team was in the FCTA to brief the Minister on the progress made on the construction of the African Medical Center of Excellence and the African Trade Center in Abuja. He also commended the FCT Minister for the tremendous support the bank has enjoyed from the FCTA, especially as it begins to implement some of its initiatives in Nigeria that were based in Abuja.
Shedding more light on the establishment of the Medical Center, the Bank’s Director, Export Development and Ag. Director Project and Asset Based Finance, Oluranti Doherty said that the bank was working closely with leading international medical, human resource and construction consultants and expressed optimism that the ground breaking ceremony would be carried out by November of 2021.
Recall that the Minister, had in May last year presented the Certificate of Occupancy of the land for the African Medical Center of Excellence to be situated in the proposed Abuja Medical City Development Project, to Mr Abdoulaye Kone, Afreximbank’s Regional Chief Operating Officer, Anglophone West Africa.
