Home / Business and Economy / Fidelity, GTB, Agbaje top nominees’ list for 2015 African Banker Awards
Segun Agbaje, GT Bank MD/CEO

Fidelity, GTB, Agbaje top nominees’ list for 2015 African Banker Awards

Nnamdi Okonkwo, Fidelity Bank MD/CEO
Nnamdi Okonkwo, Fidelity Bank MD/CEO

Fidelity Bank Plc; GT Bank Nigeria, as well as the Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, GTBank, Segun Agbaje, have topped the shortlist as the African Banker Awards committee unveiled nominees for its 2015 awards.

The Awards, which are hosted by the African Banker Magazine, will be held during the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) billed for end of May in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Shortlist recognises excellent leadership and management in the African banking and financial services sector.

The finalists, selected by an expert judging panel of bankers and business leaders will be announced at the African Banker Awards ceremony which will take place on Wednesday, May 27.

Chair of the Awards Committee, Omar Ben Yedder, the Group Publisher and Managing Director of IC Publications Group which publishes the African Banker Magazine, said that he was delighted with the diversity of this year’s entries.

“Africa’s banking sector continues to expand and the encouraging point is that there is plenty of scope for growth. What was particularly interesting this year was the number of entries we received in three particular categories. These were innovation in banking, the category for financial inclusion and the deal of the year award. I am not sure whether this was coincidental or whether we are seeing a shift in what banks and financial institutions are putting an increasing emphasis on.”

He added, “Innovation is key, financial inclusion is key, and deals are key to the continent’s transformation. And banks seem fully engaged in all three. The quality of the entries showed the amazing work which is going on, North, West, East, South, everywhere throughout the industry. In many ways, I feel sorry for the judges who will have to make these difficult selections.”

This year’s awards are supported by the Professional Association of Banks and Financial Institutions of Cote d’Ivoire (APBEF-CI) and sponsored by Mastercard, Ecobank/Nedbank, Banque Internationale pour l’Afrique au Congo, Banque Altantique/ Groupe Banque Centrale Populaire, GT Bank and Coris Bank International. ECAir, Sopra Banking Software and Travelex are also supporting the Awards. The Gala Dinner and Awards presentation will take place at the Sofitel Abidjan Ivoire Hotel.

The shortlisted entries are:

African Bank of the Year:

– Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur

– Guaranty Trust Bank (Nigeria)

– Standard Bank Group

– Standard Chartered Bank

– Banque Centrale Populaire (Morocco)

African Banker of the Year:

– Segun Agbaje, Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer GTBank

– Paulo Alexandre Duarte de Sousa, CEO Banco Comercial e de Investimentos

– Albert Essien, Group CEO Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

– Dr. Charles Kimei, Managing Director Cooperative Rural Development Bank Bank plc

– Tariq Sijilmassi President du Directoire du Groupe Credit Agricole du Maroc

Award for Financial Inclusion:

– COFINA – Compagnie Financière Africaine (Senegal)

– Fidelity Bank (Nigeria)

– Fondation Attawfiq Micro-Finance (Morocco)

– Mastercard

– Trust Merchant Bank (DR Congo)

Award for Innovation in Banking:

– AfrAsia Bank Limited (Mauritius)

– Banco Internacional de Moçambique -Millennium BIM (Mozambique)

– Mastercard

– Mastercard and Steward Bank (Zimbabwe)

– UBA Kenya Bank Limited (Kenya)

Best Retail Bank in Africa:

– Banco Comercial e de Investimentos (Mozambique)

– Ecobank Transnational

– Nedbank (South Africa)

– Standard Bank Group

– Standard Chartered Bank

Deal of the Year – Debt:

– The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia debut US$1bn, J.P. Morgan Chase Republic of South Africa

– US$500m 3.903% Sukuk Bond due 2020, Standard Bank Group Limited

– Largest telecom financing in Africa in 2014, Standard Chartered Bank

– Seplat Petroleum Development Company, FBN Capital Limited

– $865m Commercial and ECA Backed Financing Package, Crédit Suisse AG

Deal of the Year – Equity:

– Woolworths Holdings Limited ZAR 21.4bn (~USD2.0bn), Standard Bank Group Limited

– Seplat IPO, Standard Advisory London Limited

– Acquisition of CMC Holdings, EFG Hermes Holdings

– Steinhoff, HSBC

– Alexander Forbes USD950m listing and USD330m IPO, Rand Merchant Bank

Infrastructure Deal of the Year:

– Cenpower- KPONE IPP, Africa Finance Corporation

– Accugas III, FBN Capital Limited

– Lake Turkana Wind Project in Kenya, Nedbank Limited

– Azura Edo IPP: USD900m, 459 MW gas fired open cycle power plant in Nigeria, Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited

– Dark Fibre Africa ZAR3.2bn facility (c. USD265m), Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited

Investment Bank of the Year:

– Fieldstone Africa

– Nedbank Limited

– Rand Merchant Bank

– Rothschild

– Standard Bank Group

Socially Responsible Bank of the Year:

– Bank M Tanzania Limited

– Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur (Morocco)

– Commercial International Bank (Egypt) S.A.E

– Ecobank Malawi Limited

– Fidelity Bank Plc (Nigeria)

Trade Finance Deal of the Year:

– Petroleum Export Limited (VI) US$ 1,323 million Syndicated Pre-export Facility, Commercial International Bank S.A.E

– Fertilizer Input subsidy programme (FISP), Ecobank Malawi Limited

– Gibela ZAR 6 billion (USD 500 million) Guarantee Facility, Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited

– Bamburi Cement Limited, Standard Chartered Bank

– Boteti Mining Rehabilitation Guarantee, Standard Chartered Bank

Individual recognition will also be given in the categories for African Banker Icon, Central Bank Governor of the Year, Finance Minister of the Year and Lifetime Achievement. Winners of the Best Islamic Finance and Best Regional Bank will also be announced, May 27.

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