Like many other developing countries, the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Nigeria is considered crucial to job creation and broad-based economic development. Indeed, SME development has been a high priority ever since the transfer to civilian rule in 1999.
Barely a month in the job, new Central Bank of Nigeria governor Charles Soludo has thrown down the gauntlet to the country’s banks. By demanding a huge hike in minimum capital requirements, Mr Soludo is forcing the weak and fragmented industry to consolidate, in a move that he insists will result in a stronger banking system that plays a more active role in economic development.
South African banking is on the right path for achieving its economic efficiency and consumer protection targets. South Africa’s banking sector is in good health, with banks well-capitalised and the total balance sheet growing markedly during 2003, according to a report released in July by the bank supervision department of the South African Reserve Bank.