Albert Essien Farwell Remarks at 2015 Ecobank Group AGM

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with a heavy heart and great pride that I
announce my retirement as Ecobank Group CEO.
Having reached the companys mandatory retirement age of 60 last
month, I retire from the Group on 30 June, 2015. This follows 15 months
as Chief Executive and 25 rewarding years altogether with the
institution.

In this farewell message to you, dear shareholders, and to all my

Ecobank colleagues, I would like to first thank Ecobanks founding
fathers for laying the foundations of this great institution 30 years ago. It
was their amazing vision, hard work, fortitude of character and
perseverance that made it possible to set up Ecobank against all odds.
The second part of my tribute goes to all former CEOs and the
management teams that have led Ecobank throughout its history. These
men and women understood the challenges of keeping Ecobank going
and growing.

Sometimes, they faced daunting challenges. But they soldiered on,

strategising accordingly. They kept the number of affiliates growing
across the African continent, or Middle Africa as we term our preferred
theatre of operation, to the remarkable figure of 36 today with 1,200
branches.

I think it is sometimes easy for people to think of CEOs and the top tier
of management and board members, as privileged individuals with
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cushy jobs. The truth, however, is that most of these people make many
personal sacrifices, including spending less time with their families, in
order to put in the long hours required to keep an organisation like ours
running smoothly.

I would also like to thank our new chairman, Emmanuel Ikazoboh and
the board of directors for the commendable leadership they have
displayed.

Last but not least, I would also like to thank all Ecobank staff members in
all the countries in which we operate for their sterling contribution in
making Ecobank what it is today: a proudly pan-African bank formed and
developed by Africans.

Ladies and gentleman, my own personal journey with Ecobank has been
a fascinating and rewarding experience. As I said, I joined Ecobank 25
years ago as a relationship officer at Ecobank Ghana.

I rose through the ranks until I became Group CEO in 2014.

With all modesty, as far as I know, I am the only person who rose to the
level of Group CEO at Ecobank, after having started at such a relatively
junior level. That, ladies and gentlemen, should be a testament to the
fact that it is possible for anyone at Ecobank to rise to the highest office
in the institution.

Ecobank is an equal opportunity institution that rewards hardworking

people committed to its principles.

Ladies and gentlemen, as you have already been made aware, my

successor will be Mr Ade Ayeyemi. He will become Ecobank Group
Chief Executive Officer with effect from the 1st of September 2015.

I consider Mr Ayeyemi a personal friend, and I wish him every success

in the role of developing Ecobank to the next level of excellence as a
world-class pan-African bank.

I would like to think that a hundred years from now, a much-evolved

Ecobank will still be in existence, perhaps working in different ways, but
for the benefit of Africa, because it is important that the bank never lose
its pan-African identity.

I shall forever cherish the memory of being part of the Ecobank family.

Thank you.
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