10’th African Banker Awards Takes Place

Winners of the 2016 African Banker Awards have been announced in Lusaka, Zambia. The Awards were held Wednesday evening, Day 3 of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings.

For the first time, two Cameroonians feature among the laureates, with Alamine Ousmane Mey winning the Minister of Finance category, and leading banker Paul Fokam awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Cameroon scored a hat trick as Lazard’s credit enhanced currency swap won the award for Deal of the Year – Debt.

The awards, held annually on the fringes of the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank, celebrate excellence in banking and finance on the African continent. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Awards and the 2016 winners were selected from over 200 entries from across the continent.

Please see full list of winners in each category below.

Since their inception 10 years ago, the African Banker Awards have become the pre-eminent ceremony recognising excellence in African banking. Two of the most interesting categories include the Lifetime Achievement Award which was given this year to Cameroon’s Paul Fokam, President of the Afriland First Group. Fokam is a serial entrepreneur, a renowned economist and his bank is one of the more important institutions in Central Africa.

Daniel Matjila, CEO of South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation, a fund with $139bn funds under management was awarded the African Banker Icon, recognising the significant investments by the fund into African corporations and the lead role he has played in driving investment from South Africa into the continent.

The prestigious accolade for Banker of the Year went to GTBank’s Managing Director/CEO, Segun Agbaje for his leadership of the Nigerian banking giant, one of Africa’s most profitable banks.

Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank, which is active in 20 countries, won the 2016 Bank of the Year award. Meanwhile, the 2016 the award for Africa’s Best Minister of Finance was bestowed on Cameroon’sAlamine Ousmane Mey, for his contribution to socioeconomic development in his country. The African Central Bank Governor of the Year accolade was given to Kenya’s Patrick Njoroge. Kenya’s central bank, largely unknown a year ago, has managed to navigate a tough economic climate and Patrick has been credited with cleaning up the banking sector in his country.

Speaking at the exclusive gala dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel attended by over 400 financiers, business leaders, and influential personalities and policy makers, Omar Ben Yedder, Group Publisher of African Banker magazine, which hosts the awards in partnership with BusinessInAfricaEvents noted: “It has definitely been a defining decade in banking in Africa. We have recognised true leaders tonight who are playing a critical role in the socio-economic development of the continent. Finance remains a key component of development, be it in terms of financing massive infrastructure projects that today are being wholly financed by consortia of African banks, or SME financing. It’s happening because of strong, bold and visionary leadership. I have been privileged to honour some truly exceptional individuals who have left an indelible mark on the industry over the years. We are very grateful to our High Patron, the AfDB, for their unwavering support in this initiative and our thanks also go to our sponsors: MasterCard, Ecobank, Nedbank, African Guarantee Fund, PTA Bank, CRDB Bank, Arton Capital and Qatar Airways for partnering with us and enabling us to reward outstanding achievements, commend best practices and celebrate excellence in African banking”.

This year’s judging panel was made up of Koosum Kalyan, Chairman of EdgoMerap Pty Ltd; Zemedeneh Negatu,Managing Partner of Ernst & Young Ethiopia; Tom Minney, Chief Executive of African Growth Partners; Alain le Noir, CEO of Finances Sans Frontières; Christopher Hartland-Peel, Principal at Hartland-Peel Africa Equity Research and Kanika Saigal, Deputy Editor of African Banker Magazine.