3 women nominees for African Banker Awards Banker of the Year

Image supplied. Last year's African Banker Award. the African Banker magazine’s African Banker Awards nominees have been announced for this year

The three are Anel Bosman of Nedbank, Miriam Olusanya of Guaranty Trust Bank, and Patricia Ojangole of Uganda Development Bank.

Fifty-nine (59) institutions and individuals have passed the first round of judging and are in the running for the Awards.

The Awards started in 2007, recognise exceptional individuals and organisations driving Africa’s rapidly transforming financial services sector.

The 2024 edition of the Awards spotlights infrastructure, sustainability, and gender equality.

The Award winners will be announced on 28 May, at a gala dinner ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya as part of the official programme of The Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group.

The African Banker Awards nominees

The nominees for the African Banker Awards 2024 are as follows:

Bank of the Year

• African Export-Import Bank
  
• Ecobank
  
• KCB Group
  
• Rawbank
  
• Trade and Development Bank Group
  
• Uganda Development Bank
  
• United Bank for Africa

Banker of the Year

• Admassu Tadesse - Trade and Development Bank Group
  
• Anel Bosman - Nedbank
  
• Karim Awad - EFG Holding
  
• Miriam Olusanya - Guaranty Trust Bank
  
• Patricia Ojangole - Uganda Development Bank
  
• Serge Ekue - Banque Ouest-Africaine de Développement
  
• Sidi Ould Tah - Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

Trade Finance Award

• Access Bank Nigeria
  
• Attijariwafa Bank (AWB) Group
  
• Bank of Africa (BOA/BMCE) Group
  
• Diamond Trust Bank Kenya
  
• First Bank Nigeria (FBN)

Deal of the Year - Debt

• Absa Bank Ltd - 2 tranches valued at TZS 212bn and $73mn respectively - Absa - NMB Bank
  
• African Development Bank - $117m The Globeleq Menengai Geothermal Power Project in Kenya
  
• Africa Finance Corporation - $1.82bn Project KaMa
  
• African Frontier Capital - $500m Brighter Life Securitization
  
• Hogan Lovells - $16bn Ghana Debt Restructuring
  
• MUFG Bank - €774m Project Strada - UKEF backed loan to support FERA and the Republic of Senegal in its nation-wide road programme
  
• Standard Bank - $775m Foschini Group Syndicated Funding Package

Deal of the Year - Equity

• Absa Bank - $500m Airtel Uganda IPO
  
• Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement - $100m BOAD Hybrid Bond
  
• Pangaea Securities - $145m Affirma Capital Limited's acquisition of Copperbelt Energy Corporation
  
• Rothschild - $1.1bn investment into Mopani Copper Mines plc by International Resources Holding RSC
  
• Standard Bank - $200m Meridiam's acquisition of controlling stake in Kipeto

Infrastructure Deal of the Year

• African Export-Import Bank - $203m Great Horn Investments Holding “GHIH”
  
• African Export-Import Bank - $1.762bn Tanzania Railways, Government of Tanzania
  
• African Trade Insurance Agency - €350m Benin Project IROKO
• Banque Misr - $352.4m Fiber Misr for Telecommunications & Information Technology (Benya Technologies)
  
• Hogan Lovells - $15bn Simandou mining and infrastructure project
• InfraCredit - $38m InfraCredit's Guarantee of Lagos Free Zone Issuance Fixed Rate Infrastructure Bonds
  
• Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited - $461m Sukuk Issuance for construction and rehabilitation of critical road infrastructure

Agriculture Deal of the Year

• Absa Bank - Volcafe Limited $80m East Africa Borrowing Base Facility
  
• Co-operative Bank of Kenya - Co-op Bank & Kenya Coffee Direct Settlement System
  
• National Bank of Egypt - $400m Evergrow For Specialised Fertilisers
  
• Standard Chartered - $692m Ghana Cocoa Board Pre-export Receivables Backed Trade Finance Facility

DFI of the Year

• African Export-Import Bank
  
• Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement
  
• East African Development Bank
  
• Kenya Development Corporation
  
• Trade and Development Bank Group

Fintech of the Year

• EFG Hermes Holding Val
  
• Flutterwave
  
• Inclusivity Solutions
  
• JUMO
  
• ProfitShare Partners
  
• Yabx Technologies

SME Bank of the Year

• Co-operative Bank of Kenya
  
• East African Development Bank
  
• Ecobank
  
• National Bank of Commerce
  
• Uganda Development Bank Limited

Sustainable Bank of the Year

• Absa Bank
  
• East African Development Bank
  
• Ecobank
• Nedbank CIB
  
• Standard Bank Group
  
• Trade and Development Bank Group

Growing role of development finance institutions

Speaking about the Awards, Omar Ben Yedder, Chair of the Awards Committee, also notes the growing role of development finance Institutions.

“Over the years, we have seen the evolving role of DFIs. They play an important role in structuring transactions and in catalysing development, often filling the gaps in areas that are under-served or under-represented.

"That said, the finance gap in infrastructure, trade and climate finance means that the banking sector as a whole will need to be even better capitalised. But looking back at the 18 years of the Awards, it is night and day when you look at the size of our domestic banks and the transactions they are capable of structuring,” he says.

IC Events organise the African Banker Awards and it is held under the patronage of the African Development Bank.

The Awards' Platinum Sponsor is the African Guarantee Fund, with African Export-Import Bank and Vista Bank as the Gold Sponsors, and the Cocktail Reception is sponsored by African Trade & Investment Development Insurance.