For Barclays to succeed in the new South Africa, it must strengthen newly acquired Absa's efficiency and then both must learn how to tap the country’s burgeoning black middle class. Meanwhile, their efforts are shaking up a heavily concentrated banking sector. 

Egypt’s minister of finance Youssef Boutros-Ghali tells Nick Kochan that the economy is ripe for investment.

With reformers at the helm of a buoyant economy, Egypt is instilling confidence in rating agencies and markets with its new commercial spirit and changes in taxation, and banks are reaping the benefits. Nick Kochan reports from Sharm el Sheikh.

The New Forests Company (NFC) is using CDM to help finance its reforestation of an area in western Uganda in its Namwara project.

The most conspicuous change to the list of sub-Saharan African banks in the Top 1000 is the proliferation of Nigerian institutions. This reflects the impact of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s decree that banks there meet a new minimum capital requirement of N25bn ($192m), up from just N2bn.

Portfolio investors are turning their attention to Africa, a sign that the continent’s economic prospects are improving. James Eedes reports.

Kenya’s politics are as turbulent as ever. Despite this, the private sector, and banks in particular, are doing well. James Eedes reports from Nairobi.

James Eedes reports from Dar es Salaam on the factors fuelling Tanzania’s recent vigorous growth.

Does Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni’s ballot victory in a contested election forebode a creeping reversal of Uganda’s progress or is he still the best man for the job? James Eedes reports.

Were it not for the genocide, Rwanda would barely register. Small, landlocked and poor, the country’s prospects have never been good. But in Kigali, James Eedes finds some cause for optimism.