Ecobank marked the official opening of its South African representative office in Johannesburg, with a gala dinner at Summer Place in Sandton on November 8, 2010.

The event was attended by over 200 guests from the business world, including major South African multinationals, representatives of local and foreign banks, South African government officials and ambassadors of several countries were part of the high profile personalities who turned up.

The Deputy Governor of South African Reserve Bank, Mr. Daniel Mminele, read the key note address. SABC and CNBC broadcast the proceedings in their respective channels.

Addressing the guests, Ecobank Group CEO Arnold Ekpe said Ecobank is passionate about Africa and that the South African office presents a unique opportunity to support corporates in that country as they expand into the rest of Africa.

“A number of South African corporates are expanding into the rest of Africa while importers and exporters from the rest of Africa are looking into South Africa,” Mr. Ekpe said. “An important part of our strategy for South Africa is our alliance with Nedbank, which represents the largest banking platform for businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Ecobank’s executive director of Ecobank Corporate Bank, Albert Essien, who is based in Johannesburg, said the impressive number of guests at the launch indicated that Ecobank has been accepted by South Africa.

“Ecobank will carry out its activities with the same professional and ethical excellence the bank is known for in all countries where it operates,” Mr. Essien said.

About Ecobank (www.ecobank.com)

Incorporated in Lome, Togo, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) is the parent company of the leading independent regional banking group in Africa. It currently has a presence in 30 African countries, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo