Standard Bank receives Africa Investor Agribusiness award

Standard Bank has been named a winner in the Africa Investor Agribusiness Awards 2010. Standard Bank won in the Development Finance Initiative of the Year category for its groundbreaking Agricultural Guarantee Fund Scheme that has improved access to finance to smallholder farmers in Africa.

The Agribusiness Awards recognise achievements across the main Agribusiness and finance sectors in Africa and reward the personalities driving transactions and improving the continent’s Agribusiness investment climate. The awards also emphasises the important need to invest in developing Africa’s Agribusiness sector.

“The Agricultural Guarantee Fund Scheme demonstrates Standard Bank’s commitment to creating, with fellow stakeholders, workable solutions to the obstacles that hamper African development. We believe this award is an acknowledgement to that commitment” says Clive Tasker, Standard Bank Africa CEO.

“It is not very often that we can be part of initiatives that make a difference to the lives of people on many levels. We are fortunate here to see an impact that permeates across many spheres, from sustainability, economic development and growth, to job creation and poverty alleviation,” he says.