African Banker Awards head for home in 2012 under the High Patronage of the African Development Bank
The organisers of the African Banker Awards have announced that the Awards ceremony will make its debut appearance in Africa. The African Banker Awards, one of Africa's most prestigious events for the banking and financial community, have in the past
coincided with the annual World Bank/IMF meetings, but this year the committee have decided to 'take it home to Africa' and hold the ceremony under the High Patronage of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). It will occur during their annual meetings in Arusha, Tanzania at the end of May. The AfDB has been a continuous supporter of the African Banker Awards and Nkosana Moyo, a former Vice President of the Bank, has previously served on the Awards' judging panel.
Commenting on the AfDB High Patronage, Omar Ben Yedder, Publisher of African Banker magazine, stated: 'The African Development Bank Group has become the institution of choice for African affairs and continues to grow in stature and influence at a critical juncture for Africa. It is to be commended for the way it has led Africa through the financial crisis and worked to dampen the repercussions of the global economic crisis. Africa's survival of the credit storm has been keenly observed worldwide and the African Development Bank has certainly been part of the recipe for this achievement. The Bank is committed to the promotion of excellence in Africa's financial sector and has always been a strong supporter of the work we do for our events. We're honoured to increase our strong ties with the AfDB and are especially excited about hosting the Awards on home soil, which is where they belong.'
Now in its 6th edition, the African Banker Awards is a landmark annual event organised by African Banker magazine and IC Events in partnership with Business in Africa Events. It brings together over 300 key industry players and top government officials from Africa and around the world to honour the achievements of companies and individuals who have contributed significantly to the reform, modernisation and expansion of the continent's banking and financial system, driving Africa's sustained economic growth in the process.
About the African Development Bank
The African Development Bank is a multilateral development bank whose shareholders comprise 53 African countries (Regional Member Countries - RMCs) and 24 non-African countries (non-Regional Member Countries - non-RMCs). The Bank Group's primary objective is to contribute to the sustainable economic development and social progress of its regional members, individually and jointly. This objective is met by financing a broad range of development projects and programmes through: (i) public sector loans (including policy-based loans), private sector loans, guarantees and equity investments; (ii) providing technical assistance for institutional support projects and programmes; and emergency assistance grants. The Bank Group approvals in 2010 amounted to $6.5bn.
Through its private sector window, the AfDB provides a range of financial products to the private sector to complement its traditional lending operations to governments, including financial and technical assistance for viable projects. Private sector project approvals as at the end of April 2011 reached $7.7bn. Infrastructure, especially energy, is the core of the Bank's private sector operations priorities.
About African Banker magazine
African Banker is the only pan-African magazine dedicated to banking in the continent. Launched in 2007, African Banker reflects Africa's rapidly growing finance and banking sectors. African Banker is published in French and in English to cover the 54 African countries. It has become an essential tool of the people and institutions that pull the levers in Africa's banking and finance industries. In line with its commitment to banking in Africa, African Banker organises the African Banker Awards to reward the people and financial institutions that are making a big impact on improving the banking industry in Africa.
About IC Events - IC Publications
IC Publications (www.africasia.com) has over 50 years' experience in publishing magazines, newsletters, country supplements, industry reports and market intelligence on Africa. Our market-leading titles (African Business, African Banker, New African, and New African Woman) are published in both English and French, with a combined global readership of over 2 million.
IC Events (www.ic-events.net) was established to complement IC Publications' publishing arm. Together with its dedicated team of international professionals and extensive network of contacts, IC Events tailors innovative forums, roundtables and workshops responding to the most pressing issues in Africa. IC Events' activities are 100% results-driven, bringing together the main stakeholders to discuss the hot topics that are shaping the realities on the ground in order to achieve concrete action plans.