African Banker Awards announces 2023 nominees

African Banker magazine has announced the shortlist of nominees for this year’s edition of its African Banker Awards. The 2023 edition of the Awards ceremony is set to spotlight SMEs, women and gender; A new category has been introduced to recognize efforts towards bolstering financial inclusion of women across the continent

Since their inception in 2007, the African Banker Awards aim to recognise the exceptional individuals and organisations driving Africa’s rapidly transforming financial services sector. The winners of the African Banker Awards will be announced during the official gala ceremony taking place 24 May, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and part of the official programme of the African Development Bank Annual Meetings. The 2023 edition of the African Banker Awards is being organised by African Banker and IC Events. The ceremony will be sponsored at platinum level by the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) and at associate level by the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and Tunisia’s Caisse des Dépots et Consignations, that is managing an important project to support start-ups and SMEs.

This year’s Awards gala is poised to accentuate the theme of gender equity in the industry, as demonstrated by the substantial proportion of female candidates vying for the coveted title of Banker of the Year. In addition, in partnership with the African Guarantee Fund, a fresh accolade has been instituted to acknowledge and encourage initiatives aimed at propelling financial inclusivity for women across the African continent, the AFAWA Bank of the Year award. AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa) is a pan-African initiative to bridge the $42 billion financing gap facing women in Africa.

The African Banker Awards nominees were selected from a record number of entries, representing the entirety of the African continent, over a total of 10 categories, and shortlisted by the Awards committee. The nominees for the African Banker Awards 2023 are:

Banker of the Year:  

1. Mr Admassu Tadesse – Trade and Development Bank
2. Prof Benedict Oramah – Afreximbank
3. Ms Esther Kariuki – Co-operative Bank of Kenya
4. Mr Moezz Mir – SBM Bank, Kenya
5. Ms Mukwandi Chibesakunda – Zanaco, Zambia
6. Mr Othman Benjelloun – Bank of Africa
7. Ms Yemi Edun – First City Monument Bank

Bank of the Year: 

1. Afreximbank
2. Bank of Africa
3. Co-operative Bank of Kenya
4. CRDB Bank – Tanzania
5. The Mauritius Commercial Bank
6. Trade and Development Bank
7. Trust Merchant Bank, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sustainable Bank of the Year:  

1. Absa, South Africa
2. Commercial International Bank, Egypt
3. Nedbank, South Africa
4. Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa
5. Trade and Development Bank

DFI of the Year:  

1. Afreximbank
2. Africa Finance Corporation
3. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa: BADEA
4. Lesotho National Development Corporation
5. Trade and Development Bank

Fintech of the Year:  

1. Ensibuuko Technologies, Uganda
2. Flutterwave, Nigeria
3. JUMO World, South Africa
4. Lulalend, South Africa
5. MFS Africa, South Africa

SME Bank of the Year:  

1. Absa, South Africa
2. Caisse de compensation et de consignation, Tunisia
3. CRDB Bank, Tanzania
4. Ecobank, Senegal
5. KCB Bank, Kenya

Deal of the Year – Debt:  

1. EUR174m (US$190m) investment in the 44MW Singrobo-Ahouaty Project – Africa Finance Corporation
2. R1.143bn (US$66.13m) gender-linked bond (“GLB”) issuance across 3-year and 5-year tranches for Barloworld Limited– Rand Merchant Bank
3. US$564m equivalent private placement green bond issuance for GrowthPoint – Absa
4. Harmony Gold Company syndicated multi-tranche, multi-currency, loan facility of US$400 million and R4 billion– Absa & Nedbank
5. Dual currency USD 292.4 Million, and EGP 1.9 billion Syndicated Long Term Facility (US$400m) to the Egyptian Chemical Industries Company (KIMA) – National Bank of Egypt

Deal of the Year – Equity: 

1. Advisory on the US$2.5bn initial public offering (IPO) of ADNOC Gas – EFG Hermes
2. US$47m investment in Africa Go Green – International Finance Corporation (IFC)
3. US$298m Infinity Energy equity investment and Lekela Power acquisition – Africa Finance Corporation
4. R892m (US$55m) acquisition of Windlab Africa’s wind and solar assets I partnership with Seriti Resources – Rand Merchant Bank
5. R8.9bn (US$550m) evergreen B-BBEE transaction for Shoprite– Rand Merchant Bank

Agriculture deal of the Year:  

1. Launch of a first-of-its-kind AgriHarvest Platform – Rand Merchant Bank
2. US$100m working capital trade finance facility to Export Trading Group (ETG) – Trade and Development Bank
3. 8bn EGP (US$266m) Syndicated Long-Term Loan Facility for Evergrow – Banque Misr
4. Syndicated Long Term Facility US$161m General Authority for Rehabilitation Projects & Agricultural Development (GARPAD) – National Bank of Egypt
5. US$78m funding facility for the Southern Oil Structured Commodity Finance Transaction – Absa

Infrastructure deal of the Year:  

1. US$650m equivalent syndicated loan facility to EDF Renewable – Absa
2. US$21.7m Corporate Sukuk issuance for Family Homes Fund – Greenwich Merchant Bank
3. US$1bn 7-year Amortizing Term Loan in favour of a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) for NNPC Limited Project Yield – Afreximbank
4. US$900m debt funding facility for Scatec Solar PV plus Battery Storage Project – Standard Bank
5. US$310m debt package for the Sports and Roads Infrastructure Kigali – Trade and Development Bank

African Banker Awards hosts first AFAWA Bank of the Year Award 

In partnership with the African Guarantee Fund, AFAWA Bank of the Year Award will spotlight the banks advancing the financial inclusion of women across the continent. The nominees for the AFAWA Bank of the Year Award are:

1. Letshego Nigeria
2. Fin’ELLE; Rawbank
3. Letshego Uganda
4. Oiko Credit