Morocco’s government has managed to steer the country clear of political and economic turbulence. But, as its minister of finance and the economy explains, tough choices need to be taken to keep the country firmly on the path to growth.

Mauritian banks have navigated the country’s economic slowdown well by growing their local loan books as well as their overseas operations. And the latter have been boosted by Africa’s economic buoyancy, which bankers say Mauritius should exploit to become a hub for investments into the continent.

Standard Chartered already has one of the largest African businesses among banks from outside the continent, but it still wants to increase its operations there substantially in the next few years. Diana Layfield, its chief executive for Africa, tells Paul Wallace how.

Ghana has a rapidly growing economy and can count itself as one of Africa’s most mature democracies. But the credibility of its fiscal management was badly damaged last year when it posted a huge budget deficit. Seth Terkper, its minister of finance and economic planning, tells Paul Wallace how he plans to cut it.

A sovereign bond issue by Rwanda took the capital markets into uncharted territory, but the syndicate team at BNP Paribas found investors keen to seize the opportunity to diversify their portfolios.

Africa’s agricultural sector may still be underdeveloped, but it is growing as investors increasingly seek to exploit local and regional sources of demand and develop the continent’s processing capacity. A greater provision of banking services is also helping.

The Deals of the Year winners from Africa.

Oil looks set to dominate Angola's economy in the medium term and potentially longer if pre-salt discoveries prove as lucrative as optimists hope. But new regulations in the US and Europe could shake up the industry, while the government hopes to develop gas exports and the mining sector.