Ecobank Capital, the investment banking arm of the Ecobank Group, was named Africa’s Best Research Team in Africa Investor’s 2011 Index Series Awards at a prestigious ceremony held recently at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The eminent judging panel, this year included Nicolas Clavel, Chief Investment Officer of Scipion Capital, Dr. Alhaji Tukur, Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, and Maged Shawkey, former CEO of the Egyptian Stock Exchange, were looking for evidence of the depth and frequency of research and the number of researchers dedicated to African equity coverage, as well as the organization’s overall research ethos.

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, Hubert Danso, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Investor, observed: “In addition to Ecobank’s comprehensive research coverage of Africa’s main asset classes, we were particularly impressed by their emphasis on bringing under-researched investment opportunities to the attention of global investors.”

Commenting on the award, Dele Babade, Group Executive at Ecobank Capital, said: “I should like to congratulate Paul-Harry Aithnard, our Head of Research, and his team of talented analysts in Africa and Europe, on this tremendous achievement. It is particularly gratifying that our peers within the pan-African investment community have recognized their knowledge and expertise. Ecobank Capital remains committed to providing our institutional clients with quality, insightful research, leveraging our unique Middle Africa vantage point.”