South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, received the African Finance Minister of the Year Award 2023 on Wednesday evening, 24 May 2023 during a ceremony at the Rixos Sharm Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on the sidelines of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) annual meetings.
The annual African Banker Awards, now in their 17th iteration, are organised by the African Banker magazine and recognise policymakers and bankers on the continent for their role in advancing the reform and modernisation of Africa’s banking and financial sectors.
The Awards Committee said it recognised Minister Godongwana’s efforts over the past year to manage the South African economy through a complicated global and domestic economic environment. It commended Minister Godongwana for using fiscal policy to accelerate investments in the renewable energy sector and facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable future.
Minister Godongwana thanked the organisers for the prestigious honour, noting that he was accepting the award on behalf of the all the hard-working officials at the South African National Treasury who had gone above and beyond to ensure that the country remained on sound fiscal footing in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic difficulties that followed.
“Navigating the economy out of the COVID-induced downturn, and restoring the short and long term economic growth in the face of mounting headwinds here at home and abroad has not been easy. As a department and as a country we have committed ourselves to inclusive growth while also endeavouring to maintain the sustainability of the country’s public finances, so that when the next crisis hits we are better prepared to protect our people and their ability to earn a living,” said Minister Godongwana.
“Part of our response has also been to deepen our economic links with the continent in recognition that advancing South Africa’s economic and development interests can only be successful if we work together as a continent.”
Source: Government of South Africa