The Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Oliver Alawuba, has called for stronger partnerships between banks and businesses to sustain Ghana's recent macroeconomic gains, announcing that the bank's $20 billion balance sheet is ready to support private sector growth.

Speaking at a customer engagement forum held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Mr. Alawuba described Ghana as being in "one of the best times" in recent years, pointing to falling interest rates, a moderated exchange rate, lower inflation, restored investor confidence, and improved sovereign credit ratings.

"I think this is one of the best times in Ghana. I've seen a great improvement in the macroeconomic conditions," he said. "Interest rates are low, the exchange rate has moderated very well, inflation is low, confidence has been restored and rating agencies have improved Ghana's rating."

However, he warned that sustaining those gains would be difficult without stronger public-private coordination, especially as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East threaten to push up energy prices and reignite inflation across African economies.

"We as a bank, sitting on a balance sheet of about $20 billion, can begin to partner with companies and see how we can ensure that we sustain the present improvements in the economy," Mr. Alawuba said.

He explained that UBA's approach goes beyond traditional financing, focusing on providing technical expertise, market access and business support to customers. The bank currently operates across 20 African countries as well as the United Kingdom, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

Alawuba encouraged Ghanaian businesses to look beyond domestic borders and take advantage of opportunities across the continent.

"Africa is your market. Whatever you are producing, selling or offering as a service, we can support you to access markets beyond Ghana so you can do more with less," he said.

The UBA chief further stressed that successful partnerships should not only exist between banks and their customers but also among businesses themselves. According to him, creating stronger business networks can help firms expand their customer base, improve efficiency and increase revenues.

"Partnership is not just about financial support. It's also about technical support, marketing skills, expertise, reach and access to markets," he noted.

On the future direction of the bank, Mr. Alawuba said customer feedback would continue to play a central role in shaping UBA's products and services. He described customer feedback as a valuable resource that enables the bank to better understand clients' needs and improve service delivery.

"Feedback is a resource. We internalise that resource and use it to improve our customer engagement and support. When the customer is supported more, UBA gains more," he said.

The customer engagement forum formed part of UBA's efforts to deepen relationships with clients, gather insights on customer experiences and identify areas for service improvement while strengthening support for businesses operating in Ghana.