The African Banker Awards 2023 Gala Ceremony, the most prestigious event in the African banking calendar, was held on 24 May at Rixos Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Annual Meetings. The ceremony was attended by over 300 of the continent’s leading bankers, regulators, and policymakers from across the continent. Harvesh Seegolam, Governor of the Bank of Mauritius, was named Central Bank Governor of the Year at the 7th African Banker Awards 2023.
Now in its 17th edition, the African Banker Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and institutions that have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Africa’s banking sector over the past year.
African Businees wrote : “The youngest-ever serving governor of Mauritius Central Bank, Harvesh Kumar Seegolam, was awarded Central Bank Governor of the Year. Appointed at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, he leveraged Mauritius Investment Corporation (MIC) to provide critical financial support to key sectors of the economy by investing in private sector operators. Its latest returns report demonstrated that the investments made through the MIC have increased in value, despite the challenging economic conditions faced.”
Full list of winners
Banker of the Year Ms Esther Kariuki – Co-operative Bank of Kenya
Bank of the Year – Afreximbank
African Banker Icon Miguel Azevedo, Citi
Lifetime Achievement – Hisham Ezz Al-Arab, Commercial International Bank
Central Bank Governor of the Year – Harvesh Seegolam, Bank of Mauritius
Minister of Finance of the Year – Enoch Godongwana, South Africa
Sustainable Bank of the Year – Nedbank, South Africa
DFI of the Year – Afreximbank
Fintech of the Year – MFS Africa
SME Bank of the Year – Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC), Tunisia
Deal of the Year – Debt Harmony Gold Company syndicated multi-tranche, multi-currency, loan facility of $400m and R4bn – Absa & Nedbank
Deal of the Year – Equity $298m Infinity Energy equity investment and Lekela Power acquisition – Africa Finance Corporation
Deal of the Year – Agriculture $78m funding facility for the Southern Oil Structured Commodity Finance Transaction – Absa
Deal of the Year – Infrastructure $900m debt funding facility for Scatec Solar PV plus Battery Storage Project – Standard Bank
Regional Bank of the Year – North Bank of Africa
Regional Bank of the Year – Southern Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco)
Regional Bank of the Year – East CRDB Bank
Regional Bank of the Year – Central Trust Merchant Bank
Regional Bank of the Year – West Vista Bank
AFAWA Bank of the Year Award Letshego, Nigeria
