Amir Ben Yahmed, founder of the Africa CEO Forum PRESS OFFICE: Africa CEO Forum
By Amir Ben Yahmed, founder & president of the Africa CEO Forum
Like most economic sectors the world over, Africa’s financial industry took a beating in 2020. Particularly vibrant prior to the pandemic, with banking income growing by 11% per year, the industry has since become a leading source of aid for businesses in difficulty, especially state-owned enterprises and SMEs. As a result, Moody’s has warned that the amount of non-performing loans on the books of African banks could double from 2019 levels.
Despite this negative outlook, the financial industry will not be the biggest casualty of the ongoing crisis, even if the worst of the shock is yet to come. Banks have so far demonstrated unprecedented resilience, as their equity capital base is stronger and liquidity higher than during the last financial crisis, and their profitability remains well above the global average, while proactive steps taken by governments and central banks have relatively shielded them from the global downturn in economic activity. Meanwhile, mobile money operators and fintech firms have been reaping maximum rewards as the adoption of digital tools becomes widespread. Countless African fintech firms, including Pineapple, Paystack, InTouch and Yoco, have persuaded investors and new customers alike that their services have a promising future.
This unconventional past year presents a number of challenges for Africa’s financial industry going forward, and I would like to highlight three of them in particular: African finance needs to speed up convergence between the industry’s various players to stimulate financial inclusion. This feat should be possible thanks to the innovativeness of African mobile money operators and fintech firms operating on the continent. Converging the efforts of operators (which sometimes lack the technical experience bankers have), fintech firms (which lack capital) and traditional companies will pave the way for, at long last, a fully banked Africa. Regulatory authorities have a critical role to play in making this happen, as they must continue to promote innovation while keeping excesses in check (most notably to protect consumers), apply the right dose of regulatory pressure and spur the industry to work together.
African finance should be a key contributor to the growth of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by encouraging open and transparent public-private dialogue. As a financier of intra-African trade, the continent’s finance sector has a decisive […]