By Business A.M.
The book “Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa” by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, former group managing director and chief executive officer of Access Bank Plc, has been shortlisted for BCA African Business Book of the Year.
BCA Africa Business Book of the Year is an annual competition organised by the Business Council in Africa in partnership with Brand Communications and African Business Magazines to spotlight African business stories. This is achieved by bringing together the top-tier in African publishing and the business world to celebrate stories that are changing the business landscape and also celebrate the authors and publishers behind the books. The BCA Award is divided into different categories, some of which include business strategy, behavioural science & psychology, industry specific books, economics, growth markets, and historical books.
The Business African Book of the Year winner will be announced at the forthcoming BCA awards ceremony,billed to hold in The Africa Centre, London, on May 19th, 2023. The winner, first runner-up, and second runner-up will receive a cash prize of $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500, respectively.
Other books shortlisted for the prestigious prize include Africa 2.0: Inside a Continent’s Communications Revolution by Russell Southwood, Heineken in Africa: A Multinational Unleashed by Olivier van Beemen, Africa’s Shadow Rise: China and the Mirage of African Economic Development (Politics and Development in Contemporary Africa) by Pádraig Carmody, Peter Kragelund and Ricardo Reboredo, Africa: Open for Business by Dr. Deanne De Vries, Imported: Locking in Africa’s Value(s) by Chuks Ibechukwu, Blood and Diamonds: Germany’s Imperial Ambitions in Africa by Steven Press among others.
In a related development, Aig-Imoukhuede’s book was also ranked second in the list of top-selling non-fiction books in 2022 by The Rovingheights bestseller list. Since 2020, Rovingheights has shared an informal list of the top-selling titles in its stores but this year, the bookstore collaborated with Open Country Mag to compile the top 100 best-selling books in the store’s third annual list. Rovingheights Limited said it has sold about 10,000 copies of the book in the last 12 months.
In her review of the book,Amina Mohammed, the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and former minister of environment, described “Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa” as a brilliant, insightful book that takes every reader on an exciting entrepreneurial journey. According to Mohammed, the book leaves no one in doubt that navigating the waters of the banking sector in Nigeria is a daunting task not for the faint-hearted. She said the author had demonstrated a high sense of determination and integrity, as reflected in the book’s content.
“He has given meaning to grit and authenticity and takes everyone on a journey that closes the gap between harsh reality and one’s aspiration, giving young Nigerians, especially women in the finance sector, the inspiration to dream, weather the storm,and achieve greatness,” she said.
