The Bankers' Banquet: How Development Funds Get Devoured

Every year, billions of dollars are pledged to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the very businesses that create jobs, drive innovation, and sustain local economies across Africa and the developing world. Yet millions of entrepreneurs remain locked out of the financing they desperately need.

In The Bankers' Banquet, Dr. Augusto Maquengo pulls back the curtain on the hidden architecture of development finance. Drawing on years of experience in development finance and economic policy, he reveals how funds intended for entrepreneurs are often diverted through layers of intermediaries, commercial banks, and complex financial structures that prioritize institutional interests over grassroots impact.

Through compelling case studies, real-world examples, and incisive analysis, the book exposes the gap between development promises and development realities. It challenges readers to rethink how aid, concessional finance, and investment are distributed—and who truly benefits from them.

Bold, thought-provoking, and deeply relevant, The Bankers' Banquet is an essential read for policymakers, bankers, development practitioners, investors, academics, and anyone seeking to understand why so many entrepreneurs remain hungry while the financial system feasts.

This book is both a diagnosis of a broken system and a call for reform—one that places entrepreneurs, communities, and sustainable development at the center of the table.

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