Arnold Ekpe: Ecobank Legend Says Farewell
Arnold Ekpe, CEO of Ecobank International, is one of a handful of African business champions who have become legends during their own lifetimes. The tall, bespectacled Nigerian is quietly spoken and probably the most modest CEO I have ever come across. He inhabits the world of finance and banking with an ease and grace that comes from uninterrupted success.

There is little doubt that the story of Ecobank under Ekpe’s leadership has been one of continuous success. It has subsidiaries in 32 countries in Africa and 1,140 branches across the continent. It is the first true indigenous African multinational – a genuine pan-African institution. If it was regarded as something exotic during its early days, it is now an essential cog that makes the continental financial system work. Ekpe was born in Nigeria but also lived for a while in Cameroon. He describes himself as a perennial nomad – studying engineering at Manchester University then crisscrossing the continent for Citibank. He obtained a first class engineering degree and a master’s in business administration but decided to go into banking after stints in industry.

Even a conversation of a few minutes with him is sufficient to reveal a formidable intellect and an acute eye for detail. In his early forties, he became CEO of Ecobank – then in desperate financial straits despite the noble principles on which it had been founded. The pan-African nature of the bank had been the main attraction for Ekpe but he found himself at odds with the board on the strategy and structure of the bank. He left, but was recalled four years later when the board realised that his vision was the only practical one.

The innovative and most technically advanced banking system he supervises today is a different from the institution he took over in 1996 as the Boeing Dreamliner is from the propeller-driven biplane of yesteryear.

Ekpe will leave his post at the end of this year, in step with company policy, and hopefully write his memoirs. His successor, Thierry Tanoh, will join the bank in July to work alongside him.

Ekpe is married to ‘the same woman all my life’ and has three children. He was a ‘decent’ footballer and is an avid fan of Manchester United. Arnold Ekpe may leave banking but African banking will not leave him alone – he has far too much to contribute to be able to fade away into the background.
The following interview with Arnold Ekpe was conducted by African Banker Editor, Anver Versi.http://africanbusinessmagazine.com/african-banker/interviews/arnold-ekpe-ecobank-legend-says-farewell

A true African icon to whom i duff my hat. Africa needs more like him believing in her. thank you for your service to the motherland.