Centenary bank wins second-ever AFAWA Bank of the Year Award

Uganda’s Centenary Rural Development Bank Ltd has won the AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa) Bank of the Year Award.

This award recognises banks that have greatly incorporated the growth of women-led small and medium-sized enterprises as part of their SME strategy.

According to Centenary bank, the award highlights the financial institution’s efforts to enable financial inclusion to SME’s and Women led business in Africa.

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Through Centenary bank’s Supawoman programme, women continue to have access to non-financial services, including financial education, technical and business skills training. The bank further provides financial products to help women acquire assets, including land.

This was during the most prestigious event in the African banking calendar, the African Banker Awards Gala Ceremony 2024, which took place Thursday night at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Annual Meetings. The ceremony was attended by over 300 of the continent’s leading figures in banking and finance.

Through Uganda Development Bank (UDB), Uganda also scooped the ‘Regional Bank of the Year – East Africa’ award because it excelled in every category whilst weathering extreme external shocks, and extending socially and economically supportive lending that improved institutional reach and performance, according to the organisers.

Now in its 18th edition, the African Banker Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and institutions that have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Africa’s banking sector over the past year.

This year’s awards ceremony in particular saw Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) triumph in both institutional and individual recognition categories, underscoring their integral role in the African financial ecosystem.

The 2024 edition was sponsored by African Guarantee Fund, African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), Vista Bank Group, African Export-Import Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Guarantee Trust Bank (GT Bank).