The Ecobank Group is committed to sustainable and responsible banking but our pledge goes beyond delivering superior shareholder returns. We seek to factor social responsibility and sustainability into our approach to business and we are especially sensitive to the challenges of eradicating poverty and disease and protecting the environment. Within the communities in which we operate, our Corporate Social Responsibility program is dedicated to:

• Supporting community welfare and development
• Addressing financial exclusion across Africa
• Reducing our carbon footprint impact and tackling climate change
• Encouraging and supporting diversity in our workforce, and
• Acting fairly, ethically and with integrity in everything we do

CSR in Our Communities

Through the Ecobank Foundation we provide assistance to African communities in education, health, environment, entrepreneurship, culture and research. Over the past five years, the Ecobank Foundation has provided in excess of USD 900,000 funding for 28 projects across Africa.

Ecobank is committed to extending banking services to the poorest communities and to empowering small start-up businesses in Africa. Ecobank assists over 200 microfinance institutions to support over two million micro-clients across the continent. In recognition of this contribution, Ecobank has been awarded a USD 6 million grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to introduce affordable savings accounts to the poor in Africa via mobile banking.

CSR in Our Workplace

Diversity and inclusion are integral to Ecobank’s culture and strategy. By virtue of our geographical reach, Ecobank is one of the most diversified groups in Africa in terms of its people. Our employees come from 32 different nationalities and we communicate in English, French and Portuguese. We directly and indirectly provide employment to thousands of people across Africa, including our contractors, suppliers and distributors.

We believe this diversified workforce provides a competitive advantage in responding to the varied needs of our customers and makes the Group a more interesting place in which to work. We support human capital development in Africa through graduate and internship opportunities and our leadership program. Over 90% of our senior managers and country heads were developed through a structured internal process of identification, development and retention of future leaders.