Ecobank Transnational Incorporated ("Ecobank" or "the Group"), the leading pan-African banking Group has chosen the date of 5 October of each year to celebrate a community day called "Ecobank Day" in all countries in which the Group operates.
On Ecobank Day, each of the 19, 000 staff members will be encouraged to devote the whole day to serving the communities in which the Group operates. As a socially responsible company, Ecobank believes that it has a significant role to play not only in the economic development and financial integration of the African continent, but also in contributing to the development and well-being of African people.
The theme for the first "Ecobank Day" is "Education for Young People in Africa ". Youth represents some 60% of Africa's population. They are full of energy and have passion for life and the future. By helping to ensure that they have the best possible education, we can be confident that they will become a fantastic asset for the future of the African continent.
In this first celebration of the day, Thierry Tanoh, Group Chief Executive said: "Central to Ecobank's vision is our goal to contribute to the economic development and integration of Africa. Africa is the heart of Ecobank and we are absolutely committed to its future. We conduct business, develop ourselves and make profits based on our daily interactions with our communities. It is therefore right for us to give back by contributing both financially and through our own energy to improve the communities that have welcomed us and in whose territories we work. "
For the year 2013, the Group will spend two million five hundred thousand dollars ($ 2 500 000 U.S.) on school renovation, provision of school supplies and sports equipment, construction of fences and walls and various works to improve existing school infrastructures in all countries of the Ecobank network.
" By helping to ensure that they have the best possible education, we believe that we contribute in harnessing the enthusiasm, the creativity and the talent of our young people and that we give them a better chance to take charge of their future and that of Africa", Thierry Tanoh added.
Notes to Editors
About Ecobank Group
About Ecobank: Incorporated in Lomé, Togo, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) is the parent company of the leading independent pan-African banking group, Ecobank. It currently has a presence in 34 African countries, namely: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The Group is also represented in France through its affiliate EBI SA in Paris. ETI also has representative offices in Dubai-United Arab Emirates, London-UK and Beijing-China. ETI is listed on the stock exchanges in Lagos, Accra, and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) – the BRVM. The Group is owned by more than 600,000 local and international institutional and individual shareholders. The Group employs nearly 19,000 people from 40 different countries in over 1,200 branches and offices. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals. Additional information may be found at : www.ecobank.com.
