Nominations announced for the African Banker Awards 2024

African Banker magazine has announced today the shortlist of nominees for this year’s edition of its African Banker Awards. Since its inception in 2007, the African Banker Awards has recognised the exceptional individuals and organisations driving Africa’s rapidly transforming financial services sector.

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

The African Banker Awards is organised by IC Events. 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 being sponsored by African Trade & Investment Development Insurance.

Nominees were selected from a record number of entries from across the entirety of the African continent. For the first time in the Award’s 18 year history, three nominees for the most prestigious ‘Banker of the Year’ are women, reflecting the growing number of female leaders in finance.

Speaking about the Awards, Omar Ben Yedder, Chair of the Awards Committee, also noted the growing role of Development Finance Institutions. “Over the years, we have seen the evolving role of DFIs,” he said. “They are playing 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 mean 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.”

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 NigeriaAttijariwafa 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 USD 73mn respectively – Absa – NMB Bank
African Development Bank – $117 million 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 – $200 million 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 Specialized Fertilizers
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