The 10th edition of the African Banker Awards 2016, organized by the African quarterly Banker magazine dedicated to banking and finance in Africa will be held in Luzaka, Zambia on 25 May. An opportunity to draw attention to a growing field .
On May 6, African Banker published the full list of nominees for each category. This 10th edition promotes leading banking groups from North, Eastern, Western and Southern Africa. The winners will only be revealed during the awards ceremony at the annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB), held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia, on May 25, 2016.
Awards open to all
Banks, African microfinance institutions, investment banks, development finance institutions and other financial services institutions will have the opportunity to present their knowledge and their expertise. These awards were created to demonstrate how quickly the financial and banking sector has grown in Africa.
« Leading international banks, such as Barclays, seek to dismantle their subsidiary in Africa to focus on their main markets (non-African), while others prefer to strengthen their development in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia or Tunisia » highlights the African Banker statement. « We are delighted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the African Banker Awards this year. We launched these awards to raise awareness of the huge potential of banking and financial services sector in Africa. Since many of our financial institutions have evolved and are now able to compete with preeminent banks. During this period, corporate and retail banks, investment companies and insurers that have weathered the international financial crisis gained strength and experience. Transaction banking reflects the transformative role that banks play in the continent. They are undeniably a pillar of economic development, « asserts Omar Ben Yedder, publisher of African Banker.
A quality list of nominees
This year the list of nominees is long and acknowledged. Among others appears GTBank Nigeria in three categories: Bank of the Year, Banker of the Year and Innovation. Ecobank is also called three times. The South African company Rand Merchant Bank dominates Transaction and Investment Bank categories. We should also mention CRDB Bank in Tanzania, KCB Kenya, Standard Bank of South Africa and Attijariwafa Bank in Morocco, very developed in North and West Africa.
Winners will be selected by an independent jury with a substantial knowledge of African banking and finance.
It is important to add that MasterCard, African Guarantee Fund, PTA Bank and CRDB Bank, Arton Capital and Qatar Airways are among the sponsors of this edition of the African Banker Awards. At the 9th and previous edition of these awards were among the winners: the CEO of Credit Suisse, Tidjane (African Banker Icon); former CEO of Ecobank CEO, Albert Essien (African Banker of the Year) as well as the founder also president of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia (exemplary career). The Moroccan bank, Banque Populaire Group, which recorded a major involvement in the West African Atlantic Bank Group, has won the prestigious trophy of African Bank of the Year.
The list of candidates for the African Banker Awards 2016 demonstrates the diversity of banking and financial groups from different countries. The full list by categories can be found at: ic-events.net/
By Darine Habchi
