ECOBANK centre opens in Ghana

Ecobank International Technology And Shared Service Centre was on Thursday opened in Accra, Ghana, by Joe Ghantey, the Ghanaian attorney general and minister of Justice, on behalf of President John Agyekum.

The US$40 million International Technology and Shared Service Centre is part of the bank’s long-term plan of developing the centre into a leading ICT Park in Africa.

Reading the speech of President Kufuor on at the official launch, Joe Ghanteysaid Ecobank should be seen as a bank for the future.

The Ghanian Justice minister further reading the president’s speech, said "over the past twenty years,  the African continent has witnessed the steady and confident growth of this unique multi-national financial institution which now operates in twenty two countries in Africa and its still growing."

According to the president, Ecobank is the leading Pan-African bank, with 450 branches, 600 alliance locations, 350 ATMs, 600 points of sale, 800,000 regional cards, which work seamlessly across 16 of the countries internet banking offering and two micro finance banks in Nigeria and Ghana. He assured his government’s continued support for Ecobank.

Also speaking on behalf of the communication minister, Opare Ansah, the deputy communication minister, thanked Ecobank for complementing government’s efforrts in trying to ensure that Ghana becomes the next location in the world where everybody in the West and in the developed nations will be looking for business activities.
 
Arnold Ekpe, the Ecobank’s chief executive officer, said Ecobank seeks to transform the landscape of regional banking and finance in Africa.

“Our mission is to provide our customers with convenient accessible and reliable banking products and services. We have also started our international expansion into major economic centres in the world. As we speak, we are in the process of setting offices in Beijing, Johannesburg, Paris, Dubai, London and New York. Our objective is to make Ecobank product and services available to our people in the Diaspora and also to link African businesses and with opportunities in the major international centres".

Mr Ekpe added that the centre demonstrates the bank’s commitment to excellence and efficiency through the use of technology as it provide automatic transaction processing on a 24/7 basis to all affiliated Ecobank groups.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Made Sidibe, the chairman of Ecobank, said the Internal Technology and Shared Service Centre re-enforces Ecobank’s long-term  position as a leading multi-national institution in Africa with a data centre, telecom hub services, website, internet, e-mail and video conferencing service, electronic switch and payment platforms supporting internet banking, cards ATMs, contact centre services including hub for call centre operations in Abidjan, Douala and Lagos.

Patrick Akinwuntan, the Ecobank Group executive director in charge of technology, noted that the centre has adopted best international practices in its design and implementation and will be expanded to create a leading information technology park in the medium term.  The occasion attracted thousands of financial luminaries from different parts of the world.