Afreximbank president urges Media to show Africa’s positive side

The Afreximbank President spoke in an exclusive interview with ARISE News on Monday, November 9, 2026.

He said journalists, communicators and social media users need to balance the narrative and highlight progress, investment and entrepreneurship across the continent.

“We also need your people. Perhaps we should have a chat with the journalists. I’d like to come back down here at some point and have a chat with the Nigerian press corps. There is some messaging that has to go out of our communicators,” he said.

“But they’re also in what you call social media. If they go on on the negatives forever, then we would be seen as a risk permanently. Investors will see our continent as a permanent risk.”

The Afreximbank president said the negative focus is not only turning away foreign investors, but also discouraging Africans from investing in their own countries,  the places where they grew up, were educated, where their families live and where they hope to return.

He warned that the perception of Africa as high-risk has real financial costs, forcing African countries to pay more to borrow for the same investments.

“But that’s not correct. And that high risk perception increases what the bankers call the risk premium. So for the same borrowing to do the investment, you pay more in interest rates. You pay more in many other ways. Unless we change that narrative and see the continent in the positive light,” he said.

He pointed to the Dangote Refinery as an example of how positive stories can reshape global views of Nigeria and African entrepreneurship.

“As you could see, the Dangote refinery is completely transforming the image of what people think of Nigeria and African entrepreneurship. So can we move that to some other things? And focus on the positives as well sometimes,” he said.

The Afreximbank President said showing Africa’s positive side would help attract investment, lower borrowing costs and change how the continent is seen around the world.