Afreximbank ESG Capacity Building Programme for Financial Institutions (2025)

African and Caribbean banks face numerous challenges in adopting and embedding ESG principles, stemming from both internal and external factors. A key obstacle is the lack of technical expertise and dedicated personnel to drive the implementation of robust ESG frameworks. Additionally, the absence of strong Executive Management support in some institutions, reflected in the failure to allocate appropriate resources or incorporate ESG into core strategic priorities, has hindered progress. In several jurisdictions, the slow pace of ESG adoption is further compounded by the lack of clear regulatory guidance or industry-wide standards that would otherwise encourage banks to embrace sustainable practices. The Afreximbank ESG Capacity Building Programme is designed to directly address these barriers, supporting financial institutions across the continent in advancing a cohesive Pan-African approach to climate action and sustainability.

The proposed Capacity Building programme is the flagship ESG intervention from Afreximbank’s Group Risk Division/ESG Function designed to address identified ESG capacity challenges faced by Africa and CARICOM based financial institutions. The plan is to deliver the first edition of the ESG capacity building programme in an online seminar/webinar format to allow effective coverage of the Bank’s regions and ease the logistical burden on the organizing team in terms of planning. It is pertinent to highlight that the medium-term plan (i.e., 2-3years) is to transform the capacity building intervention to a full-fledged physical ESG and sustainability conference.