Awards for Excellence 2016
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Many banks in Africa donate part of their profits to charitable organisations. But few go beyond these pecuniary donations to dedicate their time and financial skills in support of the social good. Ecobank is one of the exceptions. The pan-African bank sets aside 1% of its profits after tax to supporting the initiatives of its social projects arm, the Ecobank Foundation, it also supports the fight against pandemics in Africa using skills and talents unique to banking. For those reasons, it wins best bank for corporate social responsibility.
Since December 2013, Ecobank has partnered with the Global Fund, an organization that devotes nearly $4 billion a year (65% of that amount in sub-Saharan Africa) to fighting Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. The bank spotted that financial management of Global Fund grants at the implementation level could often be quite weak, especially in Africa.
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Ecobank says insufficient financial management skills had led to situations where available funds had not been distributed or where funds might sit untouched and unused in grantee bank accounts in countries where they could have a big impact.