The Executive Director of Corporate and Investment Banking at Ecobank Ghana, Henry Ampong, has emphasised the need for digital innovation to drive financial inclusion and expand access to economic opportunities across Africa.

Speaking at the Ecobank–JoyNews Business Financial Dialogue held on Tuesday, July 28, at the Ecobank Auditorium, Mr Ampong said technology was reshaping how people live, work and transact, adding that digital transformation was redefining access to financial services.

Across Africa, technology is reshaping how people live, work, and transact. Digital innovation is no longer simply changing banking. It is indeed redefining access to economic opportunity," he said.

He explained that digital innovation was enabling individuals, businesses, and communities to participate more actively in the formal economy, regardless of geography, income levels, or background.

Mr Ampong said Ecobank has long believed that financial inclusion and digital transformation are inseparable, describing both as central to the bank's purpose as a pan-African financial institution.

"At Ecobank, we have long believed that financial inclusion and digital transformation are inseparable. In fact, they sit at the heart of our purpose as a Pan-African bank," he said.

He said the bank has, for decades, focused on bringing banking closer to customers rather than requiring customers to visit branches.

"We recognised early that the future of banking would be digital, accessible, and borderless. And we have invested consistently in innovation to make that future a reality," he stated.

According to Mr Ampong, Ecobank currently serves millions of customers across more than 35 African countries through one of the continent's most integrated financial services platforms.

He said the bank's commitment to financial inclusion was not recent but had been a deliberate strategic priority for many years.

Building access through digital banking

Mr Ampong recalled that long before digital banking became common, Ecobank introduced the Express Account, allowing customers to open bank accounts directly from their mobile phones without visiting a branch.

"At a time when access to financial services was still constrained by physical infrastructure, we recognised that a mobile phone would become one of the most powerful tools for expanding financial inclusion," he said.

He added that Ecobank has continued to build on that vision through mobile banking, USSD services, and digital self-service capabilities to ensure banking remains accessible regardless of device type, location, or level of data sophistication.

Mr Ampong disclosed that more than 800,000 customers are active users of the Ecobank mobile app in Ghana, reflecting growing confidence in digital financial services and the trust customers place in the bank's platforms.

He also highlighted innovations such as cardless withdrawals using e-tokens across Ecobank's ATM network nationwide, allowing customers to access cash securely without a physical card.

Through the mobile application, customers can also instantly create virtual cards for safer and more convenient online transactions.

Mr Ampong stressed that these innovations were not designed merely to digitise banking but to broaden participation in the formal financial system.

"They provide multiple pathways into the formal financial system, serving first-time banking customers, digitally active customers, entrepreneurs, and businesses, and enabling them to engage more deeply with the opportunities of a modern digital economy," he said.

"In our view, this is what financial inclusion means in practice, not simply connecting people to a bank account but, much more importantly, empowering them to participate more fully in economic life," he stated.

Addressing gaps in financial inclusion

Mr Ampong described Ghana's progress in digital finance and financial inclusion as one of Africa's strongest success stories.

He said Ecobank was proud to have contributed to this journey, working alongside key stakeholders including the Bank of Ghana, regulators, telecommunications partners, fintech companies, and other industry players.

However, he acknowledged that the journey towards full financial inclusion was not complete, noting that millions of Africans remain underserved by formal financial services.

He said challenges around affordability, digital literacy, trust, and infrastructure continue to exist and require collective action.

"Addressing these challenges requires more than technology alone. It requires active collaboration between all partners, and it also requires open dialogue," he said.

Ecobank–JoyNews Business Financial Dialogue

Mr Ampong said the need for collaboration informed Ecobank's partnership with JoyNews to establish the Ecobank–JoyNews Business Financial Dialogue Series.

He described the platform as more than an event, saying it was created to facilitate meaningful conversations on issues shaping the future of finance, business, and economic development in Ghana and across Africa.

"Through open dialogue, diverse perspectives and practical insights, Ecobank hopes to contribute to solutions that drive sustainable growth and greater financial inclusion in this country and beyond," he said.

He said the discussion would explore important questions facing the industry, including how to assess access for the banked and underbanked, how to leverage mobile money, agency banking and digital payments to drive inclusion at scale, and how to build trust, resilience and security in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.

"The future of financial services in Africa will not be determined by how much technology we deploy but by how many lives the technology transforms," he observed.

"Our responsibility as an industry leader is to ensure that innovation translates into inclusion, that assets translate into opportunity, and that digital transformation delivers tangible economic progress for individuals, businesses, and communities.