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African Banker Awards 2023 nominees announced

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African Banker Awards

The 2023 edition of the Awards ceremony is set to spotlight SMEs, women and gender; A new category has been introduced to recognize efforts towards bolstering financial inclusion of women across the continent

LONDON, United Kingdom, April 25, 2023/APO Group/ — 

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:  

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

Bank of the Year: 

  1. Afreximbank 
  2. Bank of Africa 
  3. Co-operative Bank of Kenya 
  4. CRDB Bank – Tanzania 
  5. The Mauritius Commercial Bank 
  6. Trade and Development Bank 
  7. Trust Merchant Bank, Democratic Republic of the Congo  

Sustainable Bank of the Year:  

  1. Absa, South Africa 
  2. Commercial International Bank, Egypt 
  3. Nedbank, South Africa 
  4. Rand Merchant Bank, South Africa 
  5. Trade and Development Bank 

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

DFI of the Year:  

  1. Afreximbank 
  2. Africa Finance Corporation 
  3. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa: BADEA 
  4. Lesotho National Development Corporation     
  5. Trade and Development Bank 

Fintech of the Year:  

  1. Ensibuuko Technologies, Uganda 
  2. Flutterwave, Nigeria 
  3. JUMO World, South Africa 
  4. Lulalend, South Africa 
  5. MFS Africa, South Africa 

SME Bank of the Year:  

  1. Absa, South Africa 
  2. Caisse de compensation et de consignation, Tunisia 
  3. CRDB Bank, Tanzania 
  4. Ecobank, Senegal 
  5. KCB Bank, Kenya 

Deal of the Year – Debt:  

  1. EUR174m (US$190m) investment in the 44MW Singrobo-Ahouaty Project – Africa Finance Corporation 
  2. R1.143bn (US$66.13m) gender-linked bond (“GLB”) issuance across 3-year and 5-year tranches for Barloworld Limited– Rand Merchant Bank 
  3. US$564m equivalent private placement green bond issuance for GrowthPoint – Absa    
  4. Harmony Gold Company syndicated multi-tranche, multi-currency, loan facility of US$400 million and R4 billion– Absa & Nedbank 
  5. 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: 

  1. Advisory on the US$2.5bn initial public offering (IPO) of ADNOC Gas – EFG Hermes 
  2. US$47m investment in Africa Go Green – International Finance Corporation (IFC) 
  3. US$298m Infinity Energy equity investment and Lekela Power acquisition – Africa Finance Corporation 
  4. R892m (US$55m) acquisition of Windlab Africa’s wind and solar assets I partnership with Seriti Resources – Rand Merchant Bank 
  5. R8.9bn (US$550m) evergreen B-BBEE transaction for Shoprite– Rand Merchant Bank 

Agriculture deal of the Year:  

  1. Launch of a first-of-its-kind AgriHarvest Platform – Rand Merchant Bank 
  2. US$100m working capital trade finance facility to Export Trading Group (ETG) – Trade and Development Bank 
  3. 8bn EGP (US$266m) Syndicated Long-Term Loan Facility for Evergrow – Banque Misr 
  4. Syndicated Long Term Facility US$161m General Authority for Rehabilitation Projects & Agricultural Development (GARPAD) – National Bank of Egypt 
  5. US$78m funding facility for the Southern Oil Structured Commodity Finance Transaction – Absa 

Infrastructure deal of the Year:  

  1. US$650m equivalent syndicated loan facility to EDF Renewable – Absa 
  2. US$21.7m Corporate Sukuk issuance for Family Homes Fund – Greenwich Merchant Bank 
  3. US$1bn 7-year Amortizing Term Loan in favour of a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) for NNPC Limited Project Yield – Afreximbank 
  4. US$900m debt funding facility for Scatec Solar PV plus Battery Storage Project – Standard Bank 
  5. 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:  

  1. Letshego Nigeria 
  2. Fin’ELLE; Rawbank 
  3. Letshego Uganda 
  4. 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

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Banker Awards.

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Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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