Ecobank wins prestigious awards

The Ecobank Group recently won two major awards at the CBC-African Business Awards ceremony held in London. Arnold Ekpe, Ecobank’s chief executive, won the business leader of the year award in recognition of building and leading a team of African managers who succeeded in transforming Ecobank from a regional bank to a pan-African bank with a presence in 25 African countries, more than any other bank.

The Ecobank Group also won the award for Technology Innovation for the establishment in Accra of the world-class Technology and Shared Services Centre which operates on a 24 hours around the clock basis and is the centralised hub of the Ecobank IT network of 25 countries.

Afif Ben Yedder, publisher of African Business said at the awards ceremony: "I am delighted to congratulate the nominees and winners from across the African business community. Tonight we recognise and pay tribute to world class business leaders and enterprises in Africa. This is just the beginning of a great leap forward for the continent’s business sector. Tonight, I see a new future for Africa, new energy, talent, and success. With almost one billion people on the continent, a new generation of business leaders will make this century, the century of Africa."

Also speaking at the award ceremony, Paul Skinner, chairman of the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), said: "The CBC Forum and CBC-African Business Awards are a demonstration of the strong interest of business in Africa. The enthusiasm and confidence of investors and business leaders in Africa is palpable. The optimism is immediate and for long term."

Ecobank’s chief executive, Arnold Ekpe in his remarks said:  "After winning the 2007 Bank of the Year Award, we are delighted to win two of the most coveted CBC-African Awards in 2008. This is a great night for all Ecobank staff. This is just the beginning of a great leap forward for the continent’s financial sector."

Ibironke Wilson, Ecobank’s HR director and Christophe Jocktane-Lawson, Ecobank’s director for international operations, echoed the sentiment of the entire ecobank staff: "We are proud and honoured for the two awards which in our opinion recognise the commitment, the passion and the focus of Ecobank and its leadership team to provide new banking solutions to a new and emerging Africa."

Almost 500 government, business and media leaders from Africa, Europe, Asia and the US attended the CBC-African Business Awards 2008 including Cameroon’s PM Ephraim Inoni, Lesotho’s PM Bethuel Mosisili, Nigeria’s Minister of National Planning, Senator Daggash, Neville Isdell, chairman of Coca-Cola and other prominent diplomats and businessmen.