Nigeria, July 24 -- At the annual Pan-African Business and Development Awards held in June, the Nigerian Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, described the outgoing President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Benedict Oramah, as "a true son of the soil" whose leadership had fundamentally reshaped trade and development across Africa. Those words capture accurately and succinctly the lifework of Mr Oramah, who turns 64 on Thursday, 24 July.

Only recently, the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, conferred on Mr Oramah the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). Both the accolade and the award, amongst several others, mark a ...