EA business leaders scoop four awards at Washington ceremony

As East African business leaders sat among other nominees in Washington where winners of various awards were being announced, little did they know they would shine in four categories.

This was at the Africa Investment and Business Leaders Awards held in the US last week. The winner of Innovation Leader of the Year award was Pradeep Paunrana, managing director of Kenya’s Athi River Mining, while the Leading African Woman award went to Nasim Devji, group chief executive officer of Diamond Trust Bank, Kenya.

The longest-standing international awards to reward exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments across Africa, were announced by Africa Investor, an international investment research and communications group.

The awards recognise institutions and individuals who improve the continent’s investment climate.
James Mwangi, head of Kenya’s Equity Bank, was voted African Banker of the Year from the category: Banks With Strong African Footprints.

He was feted for revolutionising Kenya’s banking industry, pioneering the first mobile banking technology in the world to reach out to the unbanked, and championing the empowerment of ordinary people through inclusive finance.

Uganda’s Syda Bbumba was named Minister of Finance of the Year for reducing inflation and instituting fiscal and monetary policies, which have spurred economic growth. There were no other contestants in this category.

But Mr Mwangi beat four nominees — Martin Oduor-Otieno (Kenya Commercial Bank CEO), Henri-Claude Oyima (BGFI managing director, Gabon), Arnold Ekpe, (Ecobank Transnational CEO) and Adan Mohamed (Barclays Bank regional MD for Kenya, East and West Africa).

The awards are organised by the London-based African Banker magazine and IC Events.

Hubert Danso, vice chairman and managing director of Africa investor, said the success stories of institutions and leaders in Africa were boosting the competitiveness of the continent as an international investment destination.