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.

The next 12 months will be crucial for Kenya as it holds its first elections since its tumultuous 2007 polls. It will also try to recover quickly from last year’s spike in inflation, which sent interest rates soaring. Nonetheless, the country's economy remains strong and many are optimistic Kenya can reach middle-income status by 2030. 

Kenya’s banks have been quick to move into newly independent South Sudan. Although the country is one of the world’s poorest and its infrastructure dire, the opportunities for banking over the next decade are immense, many Kenyan bankers believe, and their efforts are already paying off. 

Kenya’s banks have proved themselves to be among Africa’s savviest and most innovative when it comes to tapping the unbanked market, which has helped them and their profits expand quickly in the past few years. And with a significant proportion of the market still unbanked, not to mention a relatively small number of mortgages in the country, there is still room for further growth.

Five decades of neglect left Africa's agricultural sector in a parlous state, but last year's food crisis galvanised global opinion that something must be done - and soon - to transform the continent's vast potential into reality. Financing small farmers is the first step. Writer Charlie Corbett