Absa Bank’s Managing Director, Abena Osei-Poku has been honoured as Chief Executive Officer(C.E.O) of the Year in the banking sector at the just-ended CEO Summit 2023 held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel. The summit brings together all the captains of industry, and corporate leaders across the public and private sectors, including government officials and other key stakeholders.
The summit recognizes leaders who have impacted their sectors in unique ways in the year under review and provides a platform for these leaders to interact, share ideas and listen to new research and emerging trends in their respective industries.
Abena was celebrated for displaying great leadership, innovation, and creativity in the transformation of Absa Bank, which celebrated its third year of traversing from the Barclays brand to Absa in Ghana last February. The bank’s genuine commitment to supporting real sector growth and projecting a digitally-enabled strategy is creating synergy with clients, customers, and key stakeholders.
The bank recently launched an unheralded campaign for SMEs in Ghana providing loans at 10% per annum to women-owned businesses, youth entrepreneurs, and businesses in the agriculture and fintech sectors of the country. What makes the proposition so unique is that it has come at a time when lending rates hover above 30 percent due to a challenging local economy with inflation still above 40 percent.
Abena’s portrayal of leadership has also seen Absa step up its commitment to communities through initiatives in education, financial inclusion, and environmental conservation.
Commenting on the recognition, Abena said: “I want to recognize the bank’s incredible clients, stakeholders, and colleagues for their unwavering support throughout the years. This award is for them. As a bank, our strategy remains unchanged – we will continue to find new and innovative ways of creating value for our customers as they navigate the challenges of the external environment. Our role is to empower them and their businesses while deploying cutting-edge digital technology to create convenience”.
Absa Bank is deemed a systemically important bank in Ghana’s economy and has operated in Ghana for over a century. The bank’s brand purpose reflects a sense of capitalizing on Africa’s tomorrow, together one story at a time.
