The Ecobank Group, is arguably the leading pan-African banking group, with unrivalled African expertise, celebrated the 10th anniversary of Ecobank Day, its flagship social impact event, last Saturday, October 21, 2023.
Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers.
To mark the bank’s 10th year anniversary, Ecobank embarked on the promotion of digital skills among students of Trinity School, Ojodu and The Harpers School, Gbagada Phase 2, Lagos.
The first year of the campaign focused on digital education and creating opportunities for children and youth to receive the digital skills that they will need for the jobs of tomorrow. Ecobank will be constructing 33 Information Technology (IT) laboratories across its footprint as a key part of the Ecobank Day initiatives.
The bank’s selfless position towards philanthropy saw it launching a three-year ‘Transforming Africa Through Education’ campaign, which it kicked-off with a focus on digital education and equipping children and youth with the digital skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.
Ahead of the Ecobank Day celebrations, Ecobank Foundation, in partnership with the Global Partnership for Education and UN Women, organised a webinar entitled ‘Igniting Africa’s Digital Future through the Power of Coding’. The webinar was well-attended with over a thousand participants, and featured experts and the youth, discussing the importance of ensuring that all African children and youth have access to digital skills, mostly coding and programming, that are essential for jobs of the future and a fulfilled life.
Ecobank’s affiliates across 33 sub-Saharan African countries continue to hold a range of activities to raise awareness and knowledge of the importance of digital skills for Africa’s children and youth. These activities include creating or equipping IT Labs, refurbishing schools, providing youth digital skills training workshops, partnering with schools to improve digital facilities, mentoring initiatives and more.
Ecobank Day has supported a wide range of causes over the years since 2013. These have included Education for young people in Africa (2013); Malaria prevention and control (2014); Every African child deserves a better future (2015); ICT education in schools and improving maternal health (2016); Safe water management (2017); Orphanages (2018); Cancer (2019); Diabetes (2020); Mental health (2021) and financial literacy and financial inclusion (2022).
Speaking on the Ecobank Day activities, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Bolaji Lawal, said: “Nigeria’s population is forecast to get to 400 million by 2050 and it is vital that we equip our youth with the best possible set of skills that will set them up for tomorrow’s jobs.
Bolaji Lawal is a discreet man. It’s barely common knowledge that Lawal led the team that pictured, put in place and entrenched the retail and digital banking strategy that laid a wondrous foundation at his immediate past place of employment. Lawal exited as Executive Director at GTBank Plc Nigeria, and as Non-Executive Director at both GTBank Ghana Limited and Nigeria Interbank Settlement Systems Plc.
Digital strategy is playing a major role in the future of Banks across the globe and Nigeria is no exception with Fintechs taking increasing shares from the Banking space with Digital Banks.
The development signaled the beginning of a career-defining battle for the holder of a MBA from Oxford University, United Kingdom at the Pan-African banking group operating in 35 African countries.
His performance is being mirrored against what would have been at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank).
Lawal was one of two persons strongly touted as possible successor to Segun Agbaje as GTBank CEO in 2021.
Despite his multicultural background, he has always wanted to serve Africa.
A former employee of GTB, he is taking time for reflection and unveiling his roadmap and the organisational changes he intends to implement during his tenure.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspapers
