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African Banker magazine has announced the shortlist of nominees for this year’s edition of its African Banker Awards. The Awards aim to recognize individuals and organisations driving Africa’s rapidly transforming financial services sector.

The Award winners will be announced during a gala dinner ceremony on 28th May, 2024, in Nairobi, as part of the official program for the annual meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Nominees were selected from a record number of entries from across Africa. For the first time in the Awards’ 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 stated, “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.”

The nominees for the African Banker Awards 2024 are as listed below.

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

Deal of the year – Equity

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

Infrastructure deal of the Year

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

Agriculture Deal of the Year

  • Absa Bank – Volcafe Limited USD 80m East Africa Borrowing Base Facility
  • Co-operative Bank of Kenya – Co-op Bank & Kenya Coffee Direct Settlement System
  • National Bank of Egypt – USD 400m Evergrow For Specialized Fertilizers
  • Standard Chartered – USD 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