African Banker Awards 2009 winners announced

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Bankers from Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, Angola, South Africa, Togo, Ghana, Mali and Chad, representing North, South, East, West and Central Africa, were amongst the nominees of this year's African Banker Awards.

The African Banker of the Year award went to Tayo Aderinokun, managing director/CEO, GTB Nigeria and the African Bank of the Year award went to Ecobank-ETI. The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to a pioneer of African banking, Paul Derreumaux, the president of the Mali-based group Bank of Africa, whose outstanding achievements in banking have contributed to Africa's substantial economic transformation. The award for Finance Minister of the Year was handed to Dr. Youssef Boutros-Ghali, Minister of Finance, Egypt and Tito Mboweni, governor, South African Reserve Bank was named Central Bank Governor of the Year.

African Banker Awards Winners 2009

• African Banker of the Year - Tayo Aderinokun, CEO, GTB Nigeria
  
• African Bank of the Year - Ecobank-ETI
  
• Best Local Bank in Africa - NBC, Tanzania
  
• Most Innovative Bank - ABSA, South Africa
  
• Socially Responsible Bank of the Year - Nedbank, South Africa
  
• Investment Bank of the Year - Standard Bank, South Africa
  
• Microfinance Bank of the Year - Equity Bank, Kenya
  
• Deal of the Year - Nedbank Capital, Bakwena Refinance
  
• Investment Fund/Private Equity Fund of the Year - Citadel
  
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Paul Derreumaux, President, Group Bank of Africa, Mali
  
• Finance Minister of the Year - Dr. Youssef Boutros-Ghali
  
• Central Bank Governor of the Year - Tito Mboweni
  
• Best Development Bank in Africa - African Development Bank, Tunisia and African Export-Import Bank, Egypt
  
• Best Global Bank in Africa - Barclays Bank

Omar Ben Yedder, publisher of African Banker magazine, commented: “African banking and financial institutions have not come unscathed by the global financial and economical crisis. But as they say luck favours the prepared. Whereas banks and financial institutions of yesteryears in Africa would have previously yielded and vanished in such turmoil, the banks of today with stronger capital bases and stronger regulatory bodies have suffered severe challenges, but on the whole managed to withstand these external shocks. This is undoubtedly through strong leadership, vision and sustained reform undertaken by many of the winners and nominees present here today.”

Anver Versi, editor of African Banker magazine highlighted the potential of Africa: “When all 53 African countries, with all our cultural heritage, with our natural resources, with our populations and with our genius can act as one and speak with one voice, when, as in Istanbul, we can discover unity in our diversity, then the world will see the rise of a power that could become the greatest of all.” On the continent's banking landscape he commented: “African banking, over the past five years has not only broken its national and regional shackles, it has also broken international boundaries and has taken its first tentative steps outside the continent.”

This year's event, organised by African Banker magazine and IC Events in partnership with BusinessinAfrica Events, was supported by the African Development Bank. Sponsors included Ecobank, Lexmark International, Inc. and Centigon. The awards were held during the World Bank's critical global discussions on the state of the world's financial systems which were held this year in Istanbul, Turkey.

Christian Udechukwu, managing director, BusinessinAfrica Events announced that next year's African Banker Awards will be held in Washington DC, USA, to again coincide with the IMF/World Bank Annual meeting.