UBA names Abiola Bawuah as first female CEO

The United Bank for Africa Plc on Monday announced the appointment of Abiola Bawuah as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

It said Bawuah would also join the group board as an executive director, overseeing the vroup’s operations across the African continent, outside Nigeria.

A statement by the bank disclosed this, adding that Bawuah, a Ghanaian national, is the first female CEO of UBA Africa.

It stated, “Her appointment further demonstrates UBA’s commitment to diversity. The UBA Group Board now includes eight female Directors.

“Prior to her appointment, Mrs Bawuah was Regional CEO, West Africa, supervising the Group’s operations in nine subsidiaries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. She previously held the role of CEO, UBA Ghana.”

Speaking on the new appointment, the Group Board Chairman, Tony Elumelu, said, “Abiola has contributed significantly to the growth of UBA Africa for close to a decade. She brings a wealth of experience in commercial banking and stakeholder engagement. It also gives me great pleasure that with her appointment, the UBA Group Board has now become a majority female board.”

The UBA Group also announced Chris Ofikulu as the Regional CEO, UBA West Africa.

Ofikulu has over two decades of banking experience spanning corporate, commercial, and retail banking.

UBA operates in 19 African countries beyond Nigeria, in addition to global operations in New York, London, Paris and the UAE, according to the statement.