The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is poised to announce financing agreements with several private sector companies in Barbados in the coming days, Barbados TODAY has learned.Okechukwu Ihejirika, acting chief operating officer of Afreximbank’s CARICOM office in Barbados, said proposals from six to 10 firms in hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing and renewable energy are under consideration.The development marks the first direct effort at financing the Barbadian private sector – which Iherijika described as the bank’s “sweet spot” – since Afreximbank’s CARICOM office opened here with a $3 billion chest, the 30-year-old financier’s first foray across the Atlantic.Announcements could come at the bank’s upcoming annual general meetings (AGMs) in The Bahamas next week, though Ihejirika declined to identify the companies involved as “they are bilateral deals”.“Barbados has a lot of deals within the pipeline and... some announcements may be made even during the AGM,” he told Barbados TODAY.While providing some government loans, including $50 million to upgrade Kensington Oval for the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Ihejirika said the bank’s focus was on the private sector.
