Awards for Excellence 2020
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“People think the role of a bank is giving money, but actually what a bank does is build systems,” says Carl Manlan, chief operating officer of the Ecobank Foundation.
The Ecobank group operates in 33 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, offering many examples of this approach and this year wins the award for best bank for corporate responsibility in Africa.
One example is the bank’s partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Africa, which used Ecobank Academy’s capabilities to design a leadership and management skills training programme. Moreover, it uses its online platform, EcobankPay, to assist fundraising for their national societies across Africa.
Another example of its system-building approach has been relevant to the Covid-19 crisis: the group had already been working with the African Union to boost awareness among African citizens about the work of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, it provided $3 million towards national solidarity funds.
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Carl Manlan |
“After the Ebola crisis, it was clear that most people didn’t know what the Africa CDC is,” says Manlan, “so we have a contribution platform to allow anyone to contribute to the Africa CDC. It also creates a conversation about that work and the knowledge the Africa CDC is offering.”
Through its Ecobank Foundation, the group also recently launched a three-year campaign to raise awareness and help prevent noncommunicable diseases such as cervical cancer, diabetes and mental health – areas chosen by the bank’s employees.
“We’ve worked with the NCD Alliance, a Geneva-based nonprofit, to understand how a financial institution can embed itself into issues that are important to communities,” says Manlan. “It is not about one-off events but programmes.”
In order to have a greater impact across Africa, the group introduced a chairman sustainability award that encourages its affiliates to create and engage with clients on social and environmental programmes.
In Ghana, for example, a financial literacy programme was developed in conjunction with the local government to ensure that people in the informal sector would benefit from improved financial literacy and open accounts.
And in its home location of Lomé, Togo Ecobank Foundation started work with partners on an initiative in 2019 that opens an account for children to deposit money, helping them save while improving their security.
