Africa's best bank for corporate responsibility 2020: Ecobank

“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.

“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.