UBA: Ghanaian national Abiola Bawuah has been named the organization’s first female CEO for operations in Africa.

The Board of Directors of the United Bank for Africa Plc has announced the appointment of Mrs. Abiola Bawuah as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBA Africa.

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According to a statement from the bank, Bawuah will also join the Group Board as an Executive Director, overseeing the Group’s operations across the African continent, outside Nigeria.

Bawuah, a Ghanaian national, is the first female CEO of UBA Africa.

Prior to her appointment, she was Regional CEO, West Africa, supervising the Group’s operations in nine subsidiaries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. She previously held the role of CEO at UBA Ghana.

Speaking on the new appointment, the Group Board Chairman, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, said, “Abiola has contributed significantly to the growth of UBA Africa for close to a decade.” She brings a wealth of experience in commercial banking and stakeholder engagement. It also gives me great pleasure that, with her appointment, the UBA Group Board has now become majority female.

The UBA Group also announced other appointments.

Chris Ofikulu was appointed the regional CEO of UBA West Africa.

A statement by the bank said Ofikulu has over two decades of banking experience spanning corporate, commercial, and retail banking.

Similarly, Uzoechina Molokwu was appointed as the deputy managing director (DMD) of UBA Ghana, subject to local regulatory approvals. He was previously the Executive Director, Business Development, at UBA Côte d’Ivoire and has over 23 years of banking experience.

Ayokunle Olajubu was also announced as the managing director and CEO of UBA Liberia, subject to local regulatory approvals. He currently drives compliance across Africa subsidiaries and comes with 30 years of banking experience in Nigeria and other African countries, including Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Gambia.

Other appointments include that of Theresa Henshaw, who was appointed CEO of UBA UK, subject to local regulatory approvals. She was previously the DMD, Business Development, at UBA America and joined the group as ED, Business Development, at UBA UK.

Usman Isiaka, currently CEO of UBA Sierra Leone, has also been appointed the Deputy CEO of UBA America, subject to local regulatory approvals.

Adeyemi Adeleke, the former CEO of UBA UK, is now the group treasurer. Adeleke will be working to unlock the immense value in the group’s multi-jurisdictional balance sheet, leveraging its presence in 24 countries within and beyond Africa.

In addition to the executive appointments, UBA has announced the retirement of High Chief Samuel Oni, an independent non-executive director, from the board following the expiration of his tenure. He joined the UBA Group in January 2015 and served on the board of the group for eight years.

Mr. Elumelu, Group Chairman, thanked High Chief Oni for his dedication, leadership, and extensive contributions to the UBA Group and wished him the best in all his future endeavors on behalf of the Board.