South Africa has a very sophisticated financial services sector which is highly regulated, and to some extent was able to survive the 2008 global financial crisis better than banks and institutions in other countries. Ultimately, the South African financial services sector has seen aggressive expansion of prominent banks into Africa – evidence of the perceived potential Africa holds for the banking sector in particular.

In this Bon Bon, Prof Jan van Romburgh speaks to the CEO of First Capital Bank in Africa, Mr Jaco Voljoen. Mr Viljoen has more than 20 years’ experience in the African banking arena and formerly held positions in Uganda, Nigeria Botswana and currently Malawi. Mr Viljoen explains his views on the opportunities and pitfalls of doing business in Africa and also ponders into why it is important to have a relevant MBA.