Ecobank Group bags financial inclusion award

The Ecobank Group has won the Award for Financial Inclusion at the 10th edition of the African Banker Awards. The Award for Financial Inclusion is awarded to banks that have succeeded in delivering financial products and services to wider parts of society, particularly to the most disadvantaged and low income segments, ultimately contributing to financial inclusion, development and growth.

The awards ceremony took place at the Intercontinental Hotel Lusaka, Zambia, on the sidelines of the 2016 African Development Bank Annual Meetings.

Commenting on the win after the award ceremony, Ecobank Group Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Laurence do Rego, who received the award on behalf of the Ecobank Group, said: “Winning this award is a testament to the sweet success of making financial inclusion an integral part of our work. This award shows that there is a powerful case for traditional banks to extend financial services to Africa’s low income segments, as well as the unbanked.

The Award for Financial Inclusion is one of many awards the pan-African bank has won recently. Ecobank Ghana, the group’s Ghanaian affiliate, was named the Best Trade Finance Bank in Ghana at the GTR Africa Leaders in Trade Award. Ecobank Nigeria, the group’s largest affiliate, responsible for over 40 percent of its earnings, also won the Trade and Forfaiting Review Deal of the Year Awards.