Given the size of its economy and the rapid pace at which it is growing, Nigeria has a good chance of establishing an international financial centre to rival Johannesburg – Africa's only IFC. The west African country is already close to creating the legal framework necessary, but overcoming the negative perceptions of many international banks will prove a tricky obstacle to overcome.

Competition among Nigeria’s biggest banks will become even fiercer in the coming few years thanks to the creation of two new top-tier lenders in the wake of the country’s financial crisis. But the head of First Bank, the largest lender in Nigeria, is undaunted by the emergence of these rivals. 

African banks are increasingly looking outside of their domestic markets, and many of the continent's biggest lenders are now active in multiple countries, buoyed by greater access to vast unbanked populations and a more stable political environment.

Angola’s vast oil reserves have helped it rebuild its shattered infrastructure and become one of the world’s fastest growing countries. But the country needs to develop the rest of its economy quickly to reduce its vulnerability to a fall in oil prices and tackle its high levels of poverty.

The discovery of vast oil reserves off the shore of Angola has significantly improved the country's economic outlook, with the government licensing the exploration and structuring the taxation of production in such a way that profits from the oil will filter down to benefit the entire population.

Angola’s banks are likely to grow faster than any others in Africa over the next decade, and they are also among the continent’s most profitable. But they will have to start innovating as increased competition and new regulations look set to make their presence felt.

Angola’s government has presided over 10 years of peace and booming economic growth, and neither looks likely to be disturbed in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, managing the expectations of Angolans over the next decade as the memory of civil war fades will become harder.