The book, Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa, by former Access Bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, has been shortlisted for BCA African Business Book of the Year.
BCA Award, organised by The Business Council in Africa, in partnership with Brand Communications and African Business Magazines, is divided into different categories, including business strategy, behavioural science & psychology, industry-specific books, economics, growth markets, and historical books.
BCA Africa Business Book of the Year, an annual competition to spotlight African business stories, will be announced at BCA awards to hold in The Africa Centre, London, on May 19.
The winner, first runner-up, and second runners-up will receive $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500.
Aig-Imoukhuede’s book was ranked second on the list of top-selling non-fiction books in 2022 by The Rovingheights bestseller’s list.
In her review, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and former Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, described the book as brilliant, insightful and an exciting entrepreneurial journey.
Mohammed noted the book navigates the banking sector in Nigeria, saying it is a task not for the faint-hearted.
“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, inspiration to dream, weather the storm, and achieve greatness,” she said.
Rovingheights Limited has sold about 10,000 copies of the book in the last 12 months.
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; and “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.
Others are “Africa: Open for Business” by Dr. Deanne De Vries; “Imported: Locking in Africa’s Value(s)” by Chuks Ibechukwu; and “Blood and Diamonds: Germany’s Imperial Ambitions in Africa” by Steven Press.