In a prestigious ceremony held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Dr. Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was named the Central Bank Governor of the Year at the 2025 African Banker Awards. The event, which took place on Wednesday, was organized by African Banker magazine in partnership with the African Development Bank Group.
The award recognizes Cardoso’s “bold and strategic” leadership in driving monetary and regulatory reforms that have significantly enhanced Nigeria’s financial stability and investor confidence. According to a statement from the CBN on Thursday, the Awards Committee highlighted Cardoso’s role in “implementing key policy measures aimed at stabilising the naira, improving transparency in the foreign exchange market, and re-establishing policy credibility.”
“These efforts have laid the groundwork for long-term macroeconomic resilience and renewed investor confidence,” the statement added.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Governor was Nkiru Balonwu, Adviser to the Governor on Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communication. She was accompanied by senior officials including Victor Oboh, Director of the Monetary Policy Department; Olubukola Akinwumi, Director of Banking Supervision; and Aloysius Uche Ordu, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee.
The African Banker Awards, now in their 19th year, bring together senior government officials, commercial bankers, and development finance leaders from across Africa to celebrate excellence in finance. The award underscores the CBN’s pivotal role in addressing market imbalances and repositioning Nigeria’s economy for sustainable growth.
