Angola’s government has launched several initiatives to boost the country's non-oil sectors. Some of these, including a hike in import tariffs in March, have proved controversial, while the business environment remains tough by global standards. But investors think the country still has plenty going for it.
Amcon, Nigeria’s resolution vehicle set up after its 2009 financial crisis, has made a lot of progress restructuring the billions of dollars of loans it holds. But its chief executive Mustafa Chike-Obi says its work will get harder and argues against calls for it to be wound down quickly.
The controversy that has dogged pan-African lender Ecobank in the last nine months has shaken it to its core. Last month Thierry Tanoh, its chief executive, was forced to stand down in what was the latest and, Ecobank shareholders will hope, possibly the last in a series of events that has dented the institution’s credibility.
If the early 2000s were all about the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, now attention is shifting to the up-and-coming countries of Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey – the MINTs. And with rapid economic growth predicted, retail banks in these countries will be under enormous pressure to keep up.
With elections looming, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s next year as Nigeria’s finance minster promises to be even more demanding that usual. But she is determined to ensure that the country’s strong macroeconomic performance of recent years and reform agenda do not slip.
Liberia’s economy has come a long way since its devastating civil war ended 11 years ago, but it remains one of the world’s poorest countries. Amara Konneh, who won The Banker’s African Finance Minister of the Year award for 2014, tells Paul Wallace how the Liberian government is trying to change that.
Africa’s banking industry has gone through huge changes during Jacko Maree’s career. The former chief executive of Standard Bank believes the future for banks on the continent looks promising, but says they will have to adapt to regulatory changes and tap new types of clients. Interview by Paul Wallace.
In the latest ranking of African banks, Nigeria’s lenders had a blockbuster year in terms of profits, demonstrating their recovery from the country's 2009 crisis, while South Africa's banks remain way out in front of the rest of Africa, but continue to experience subdued growth.