LONDON, United Kingdom, April 25, 2023/ -- African Banker magazine has announced the shortlist of nominees for this year’s edition of its African Banker Awards (www.AfricanBankerAwards.com).

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

Bank of the Year: 
Afreximbank 
Bank of Africa 
Co-operative Bank of Kenya 
CRDB Bank – Tanzania 
The Mauritius Commercial Bank 
Trade and Development Bank 
Trust Merchant Bank, Democratic Republic of the Congo  
Sustainable Bank of the Year:  
Absa, South Africa 
Commercial International Bank, Egypt 
Nedbank, South Africa 
Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa 
Trade and Development Bank 

DFI of the Year:  
Afreximbank 
Africa Finance Corporation 
Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa: BADEA 
Lesotho National Development Corporation     
Trade and Development Bank

Fintech of the Year:  

Ensibuuko Technologies, Uganda 
Flutterwave, Nigeria 
JUMO World, South Africa 
Lulalend, South Africa 
MFS Africa, South Africa 
SME Bank of the Year:  
Absa, South Africa 
Caisse de compensation et de consignation, Tunisia 
CRDB Bank, Tanzania 
Ecobank, Senegal 
KCB Bank, Kenya 

Deal of the Year – Debt:  EUR174m (US$190m) investment in the 44MW Singrobo-Ahouaty Project – Africa Finance Corporation 
R1.143bn (US$66.13m) gender-linked bond (“GLB”) issuance across 3-year and 5-year tranches for Barloworld Limited– Rand Merchant Bank 
US$564m equivalent private placement green bond issuance for GrowthPoint - Absa    
Harmony Gold Company syndicated multi-tranche, multi-currency, loan facility of US$400 million and R4 billion– Absa & Nedbank 
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: 
Advisory on the US$2.5bn initial public offering (IPO) of ADNOC Gas - EFG Hermes 
US$47m investment in Africa Go Green - International Finance Corporation (IFC) 
US$298m Infinity Energy equity investment and Lekela Power acquisition - Africa Finance Corporation 
R892m (US$55m) acquisition of Windlab Africa’s wind and solar assets I partnership with Seriti Resources - Rand Merchant Bank 
R8.9bn (US$550m) evergreen B-BBEE transaction for Shoprite– Rand Merchant Bank 

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

Infrastructure deal of the Year:  
US$650m equivalent syndicated loan facility to EDF Renewable - Absa 
US$21.7m Corporate Sukuk issuance for Family Homes Fund - Greenwich Merchant Bank 
US$1bn 7-year Amortizing Term Loan in favour of a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) for NNPC Limited Project Yield - Afreximbank 
US$900m debt funding facility for Scatec Solar PV plus Battery Storage Project - Standard Bank 
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:  
Letshego Nigeria 
Fin'ELLE; Rawbank 
Letshego Uganda 
Oiko Credit 
For more information on the African Banker Awards or details on how to attend the official Awards ceremony, please visit www.AfricanBankerAwards.com