Patricia Ojangole Becomes the 2nd East African Woman to Win African Banker of the Year Award
- Patricia Ojangole, managing director of Uganda Development Bank, became the second East African woman to win the African Banker of the Year award
- Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, won Central Bank Governor of the Year
- Morocco’s Finance Minister Nadia Fettah was honored as Finance Minister of the Year for her strong macroeconomic leadership
Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business, and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.
Patricia Ojangole, managing director of Uganda Development Bank, has made history by becoming the second East African woman to win the prestigious African Banker of the Year award.
Source: Twitter
The accolade was presented at the African Banker Awards 2025 Gala ceremony, held at the Sofitel Hotel in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on the sidelines of the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings.
Ojangole’s recognition marks a milestone for women in leadership in East Africa’s financial sector.
She was lauded for spearheading transformative reforms at Uganda Development Bank, including the expansion of its capital base, a sharp reduction in non-performing loans, and other strategic improvements that have repositioned the institution as a key driver of Uganda’s economic development.
The ceremony, now in its 19th year, attracted over 500 high-profile attendees from across Africa’s banking and finance ecosystem.
Who was the Central Bank Governor of the Year?
Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, took home the Central Bank Governor of the Year award.
Cardoso is two years into his tenure and has been credited with restoring investor confidence in Nigeria through major reforms in foreign exchange management, banking recapitalisation, and enhanced regulatory transparency.
The jury noted that these reforms have played a key stabilising role in Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment and in arresting the runaway depreciation of the Naira.
Who was the Finance Minister of the Year?
Morocco’s Finance Minister Nadia Fettah was named Finance Minister of the Year for her steady stewardship of the North African economy.
Source: Twitter
She was praised for effective macroeconomic management and policies that have driven economic diversification and resilience in Morocco amid global headwinds.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Idrissa Nassa, CEO of Coris Bank International.
Nassa is considered a titan of African banking, having built Coris into a financial powerhouse operating in 11 countries and commanding 10% of the market share in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
Kenyan and Tanzanian companies win
In other news, Kenya’s 4G Capital and Tanzania’s CRDB Bank were among the standout winners at the African Banker Awards 2025.
4G Capital was named Fintech of the Year for its innovative, data-driven approach to financial inclusion, offering microloans and digital services to underserved SMEs across East Africa, especially women-led enterprises.
CRDB Bank earned the SME Bank of the Year award for its tailored financial products and strong support for small businesses in sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.
Now in its 19th edition, the African Banker Awards are organised by African Banker magazine in collaboration with IC Events, with the goal of celebrating excellence, innovation, and transformative impact within Africa’s financial sector.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
