GTBank has been shortlisted among finalists for the African Banker magazine’s 2014 African Banker awards.
According to a statement from the organisers of the award, the shortlist reveals 36 banks and financial institutions, including Standard Bank, Attijariwafa Bank and Nedbank, are running for the top prizes available for the eighth edition of the competition.
The final winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in May in Kigali, Rwanda, during the African Development Bank annual meeting.
The statement quoted the Publisher, African Banker magazine, Mr. Omar Bedder, as saying the African Banker Awards Committee was impressed by the entries in the deal of the year (‘equity’ and ‘debt’) categories.
Bedder said, “It has been encouraging and fascinating to read the entries in the deal of the year categories, which are the most competitive of the lot. The transactions are encouraging because of their level of sophistication; also, they highlight the amount of activity now taking place throughout the continent, some of which are transformative, such as what we are seeing in the power sector.
“Also, encouraging is the fact that many of these deals are being financed and structured by local African banks in conjunction with global partners.”
Commenting on the industry as a whole, Yedder said, “The banking and financial services industry continues to develop rapidly, even if we’d like it to work harder and see it participate more actively in the real economy.
“It continues to be one of the fastest growing industries and we are pleased to see new entrants coming into the space, something we hope will help to elevate the bar in terms of products and services. This can only work to better serve the interests of the African consumer.”
According to the statement, those shortlisted in the African Banker of the Year category are the Group Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Bisi Onasanya; the Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, South Africa, Bola Adesola; and Managing Director, GTB, Mr. Segun Agbaje.
Others are the Chief Executive Officer, CRDB Bank, Tanzania, Dr. Charles Kimei; the Chief Executive Officer, Banco Unico, Mozambique, Mr. Joao Figueiredo; Chief Executive Officer, Standard Bank, Angola, Pedro Pinto Coelho; and the Director-General, East African Development Bank, Uganda, Vivienne Yeda.
Companies shortlisted in the Investment Bank of the Year category are EFG Hermes, Egypt; Citi Group, South Africa; FBN Capital, Nigeria; Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa; and Vetiva, Nigeria.
