Meet The 15 Best Performing Central Bank Governors in Africa in 2022

The governors of the Central Banks of South Africa, Mauritius and Morocco are the only three from Africa to have been ranked among the top 20 central bankers worldwide.

The Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Lesetja Kganyago has the best rating (A-) of all his African counterparts.

The Central Banker Report Cards, published annually by Global Finance since 1994, grade the central bank governors of 101 key countries and territories, including the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Bank of Central African States, and the Central Bank of West African States.

In the 2022 report, only three central bankers in Africa made the top 20 global list: Lesetja Kganyago, Governor of the South African Reserve Bank; Harvesh Kumar Seegolam, Governor of the Bank of Mauritius; Abdellatif Jouahri, Governor of the Central Bank of Morocco.

Nigeria’s central bank governor missed out from the list of top 15 central bankers in Africa and was given a “C-” grade by the magazine, which ranks him lower than African peers from such countries as Kenya (B), Rwanda (B+), Ghana (B-), Tanzania (B-) and Zambia (C+).

Grades in the ranking are based on a scale of “A” to “F” for success in areas such as inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability, and interest rate management.

  1. Lesetja Kganyago – Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (A)
South African Reserve Bank governor (SARB) Lesetja Kganyago gestures during a media briefing in Pretoria, October 6, 2014. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

2. Harvesh Kumar Seegolam – Governor of the Bank of Mauritius (A-)

Harvesh Kumar Seegolam

3. Abdellatif Jouahri – Governor of the Central Bank of Morocco (A-)

Abdellatif Jouahri

4. John Rwangombwa – Governor, National Bank of Rwanda (B+)

John Rwangombwa

5. Jose De Lima Massano – Governor Banco Nacional de Angola (B)

Jose De Lima Massano

6. Abbas Mahamat Tolli – Governor of the Bank of Central African States (B)

Abbas Mahamat Tolli