The Angaza Awards: Women to Watch in Banking, Finance and Investment has announced Josephine Anan-Ankomah - Ecobank Group Regional Executive for Central, Eastern & Southern Africa as one of the Top 10 women shaping Africa’s financial services sector.

The list was compiled following a four-month entry period which attracted dozens of professionals from 11 countries across the Continent. The Top 10 will be celebrated during the Angaza Forum which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya on October 16 and 17, 2023.

Mrs. Anan-Ankomah is the Managing Director of Ecobank Kenya.

With 32 years of experience at Ecobank, she oversees operations across 18 countries, managing 26% of the bank's $26.6 billion balance sheet.

Under her leadership, the Commercial Banking Business achieved remarkable growth, witnessing over 30% revenue growth, a 60% increase in total deposits to $5.4 billion, and a doubling of customer numbers.

Josephine's strategic oversight as the Regional Executive is said to have been instrumental in driving financial performance, with the region emerging as the second-largest revenue contributor to the Group.

She led the team that created and launched Ecobank's gender financing initiative, Ellevate by Ecobank, in November 2020. Ellevate has cumulatively impacted over 70,000 women-owned businesses.

Through collaborations with organizations like AUDA-NEPAD, Google My Business, and LinkedIn, she has delivered capacity-building programs to thousands of SMEs across Africa, fostering economic growth and development. Her collaborative efforts have also extended to promoting financial inclusion among young people through initiatives like the Fingo App, which onboarded over 110,000 users.

Josephine's transformative initiatives have received global recognition, including the Outstanding Crisis Finance Innovations at the 2021 Global Finance – Innovators awards, The Impact Award at the 2021 Financial Alliance for Women award, the Best New Product Launch of the Year at the 2021 Middle East & Africa Retail Banking Innovation Awards, and Africa’s Best Bank for SMEs by Euromoney. Furthermore, her foundation, SheBlossoms, provides critical support to needy Junior High School students in Ghana, offering financial assistance, mentorship, and career guidance to promote education and empower young women.

Financial Sector Innovation Professionals in Banking, Capital Markets, Insurance, Fintech, Investment Banking and Fund Management, Microfinance, and Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) and Public Sector were invited to submit their applications.  

Entries were received from Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Angaza Awards criteria included an assessment to evaluate entrants based on their measurable achievements within their current institution as well as notable professional accomplishments at the industry level.

The 2024 Top 10 Women list indicates the employer and title as of January 30, 2024. The listed countries are based on nationality.

Below are the list of winners

Josephine Anan-Ankomah - Ecobank Group Regional Executive – Central, Eastern & Southern Africa, Ghana

Reena Moonoosamy - National Insurance Co., Ltd. Group Chief Services Officer, Mauritius

Clementine Chinyuku - Emeritus Reinsurance Head of Reassurance, Zimbabwe

Nonceba Patsika - Zibuko Capital (Microfinance) Managing Director, Zimbabwe

Manisha Dookhony - Chairperson and Director of Mindex Ltd; and Chairperson of African Legal Support Facility (African Development Bank), Mauritius

Mary Mulili - UBA Kenya Designate Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya

Susan Sawe - Citibank N.A. Director, Global Network Banking (East Africa), Kenya

Patience Muvea - Chief Actuary Liberty Life Insurance, Kenya

Chantal Kagame - Mobile Money Rwanda, Ltd. Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda

Mizinga Melu - Absa Bank Zambia Managing Director, Zambia