Africa

Euromoney Awards for excellence 2006Botswana I Ethopia I The Gambia I Ghana I Kenya I Malawi I Mauritius I Namibia I Nigeria I Senegal I South Africa I Swaziland I Tanzania I Togo I Uganda I Zambia I Zimbabwe

There are wide variations in sub-Saharan African economies. Although overall growth was about 5% in 2005, that figure masked significant differences – not least between oil-exporting countries and others. The growth in demand for minerals has also selectively benefited countries in the region. Overall, though, the outlook for the region is brighter than it has been for many years, with relatively low inflation, strong growth in trade, a higher number of democratically elected governments and fewer wars and civil conflicts than in previous decades.

Conditions are therefore ripe for banks to perform strongly. The contest for best bank in sub-Saharan Africa involves a limited numbers of players – Barclays Bank, Citigroup, Standard Bank and Standard Chartered are the only institutions that can genuinely claim to offer a pan-African service.