Wigwe wins award twice in a row
Ecobank, FBNQuest Merchant Bank recognised in top categories
Herbert Wigwe, group managing director and chief executive officer of Access Bank, has been named African Banker of the Year at the 2021 African Banker awards.
It is the second year in a row the Access Bank group CEO would be winning the award, having been named winner in 2020. Wigwe clinched the prestigious award ahead of a crack short list of other distinguished African bank CEOs which included Ade Adeyemi of Ecobank and Kennedy Uzoka of United Bank for Africa (UBA).
The award comes just days after Access Bank completed the acquisition of South Africa’s Grobank leading to the establishment of a full subsidiary in that country and making the largest Nigerian lender, one of the largest retail banks in Africa with over 40 million customers following the implementation of a rapid growth strategy over the last decade.
Organisers of the award explained that for the African Banker of the Year award, judges look at how the nominated banking institutions’ chief executive officers and managing directors change the banking landscape through the offering of top-notched and sophisticated services to grow customer deposits and the gross loan book.
The African Banker 2021 awards were held virtually during the annual meetings of the African Development Bank, high patron of the event. The award has become the most respected and recognised industry event celebrating African banking achievements.
Others who were shortlisted for the category, African Banker of the Year, include Admassu Tadesse of Trade and Development Bank; Brehima Amadou Haidara of Banque de Développement du Mali (the Development Bank of Mali); James Mwangi of Equity Group Holdings Plc; and João Figueiredo of the MozaBanco among other nominees.
Also, Mohammed Benchaâboun, Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance, won Finance Minister of the Year for the exceptional work which his ministry coordinated with an exemplary response to the economic impact from the crisis and also helping to protect both lives and livelihoods.
On the same night, Nigeria’s FBNQuest Merchant Bank emerged as the winner of the equity deal of the year on the back of its role in the privatisation of Afam Power Plc and Afam Three Fast Power Ltd, while Ecobank was named the African SME Bank of the year.
The event, which was sponsored by the African Guarantee Fund, Bank of Industry (Nigeria), Banque du Développement du Mali and technology partner TagPay, […]