When the elite in Ghana’s corporate world met to strut their stuff along the fine halls of Labadi Beach Hotel on Saturday, November 6 2021, it was Absa Bank that got the best of the lot in the banking sector category. In what was a night of back-slapping and award-giving at the 32^nd National Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIMG) National Marketing Awards, Absa took away the most coveted Bank of the Year honor.

Banks represent the engine of growth and stimulation for any emerging economy, and in Ghana, Absa plays a crucial role in the sustenance and progress of key business sectors.

As a systemically important bank that has supported economic growth for over 100 years, the bank remains solidly anchored in the Ghanaian economy. It plays an enabling role in key sectors of the economy including Oil & Gas, Health, Infrastructure, Telecoms, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Energy, and Education. With 67 service outlets and about 170 ATMs spread across the country, Absa Ghana also provides a wide range of digital banking solutions such as its Mobile Banking App with fingerprint and facial recognition, iATM with Cash Deposit and Cardless transaction functionality.

Before the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the bank underwent an unprecedented transformation that repositioned its business to better serve its customers. Led by its Managing Director, Abena Osei-Poku, the bank was one of the foremost leaders in anticipating and structuring plans to better engage its staff and customers during COVID-19.

Innovative products aligned to unique digital platforms and the application of new ways of working for staff, ensured that the Bank ended 2020 as one of the most profitable banks in the country. With several industry-firsts in product innovation including Absa Emerge for female entrepreneurs, Absa StartUp Banking and the vertical and contactless debit cards, the bank continues to redefine new ways of banking in a world that is increasingly controlled by technology and creativity.

Managing Director, Abena Osei-Poku’s relentless outlook, experience and overall knack for spotting new business opportunities continue to serve the bank well.

Commenting on the CIMG recognition, she said, “Our gratitude goes to our customers and stakeholders for sticking with us all these years. As a forward-looking African business with a global scale, we are driven by our brand promise and purpose of helping our customers find ways to get things done and bringing possibilities to life.

"This is backed by a bold growth strategy that prioritises innovation and digital leadership, a strong focus on customers and being an active force for good in society. The CIMG award reflects the hard work we continue to put in to ensure we are the best-in-class and the preferred choice for our current and prospective clients. We continue to lead the way in demonstrating what a bank must stand for in the eyes of its clients, customers, employees and the larger society.”

Absa is among the leading banks in Ghana with a significant market share and currently the most profitable in that category.

The Bank’s excellence in strategic marketing from insights through to implementation of marketing mix programmes is also producing outstanding results by enabling the creation of bespoke solutions to client and customers.

The CIMG Bank of the Year Award truly demonstrates what is possible when a bank decides to align its mandate to the specific needs, aspirations, expectations and deliverables of its clients, customers and stakeholders.