Our main interview this month is with Ebrima Sawaneh FCCA, an award-winning finance leader from the Gambia who is helping drive the strategic growth of maritime and logistics infrastructure at three ports in West Africa – development that is crucial for the region’s economic transformation. Having built a solid career in banking over two decades, Sawaneh is now leading finance and operations at Arise Ports & Logistics and working with the governments of Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire to increase capacity and drive competitiveness. Find out how the Africa CFO of the Year 2025 has made his way to the top.
In April’s comment section, our columnist looks at the impact of the conflict in the Middle East for Africa. While rerouted shipping has the potential to benefit ports in the region, the level of economic disruption overall has shown just how unprepared governments are to weather such instability. There is, though, plenty finance professionals can do to help pilot organisations through the turbulence.
Startups and SMEs often need financial expertise during periods of change or rapid growth but struggle to fund a permanent appointment. The solution could be a fractional CFO – an experienced finance leader who provides strategic financial guidance and oversight on a part-time, contract or project basis. Learn how Africa’s fast-growth ecosystem could benefit.
As we mark Earth Day in April, we find out what it means to be a sustainable business, with insights from a new report from ACCA on how today’s corporate landscape has evolved and the tools needed to inform decisions and bring value to multiple stakeholders. We also have advice for practitioners on how to be ISSA 5000-ready, as the new sustainability assurance standard requires careful professional judgment.
Finally, our careers section offers two practical articles for those in the midst of a career shift. Our short feature on coping with job ghosting has advice for when communications with a potential employer go silent, and we also find out why AI-enabled interviews are on the rise and what that means for hiring decisions.
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