Dr. Ayo Adepoju, Executive Director and Group CFO of Ecobank Transnational, has emerged as one of the inaugural winners of the African Finance Leaders Award.
The awards were launched at this year’s African Chief Financial Officers Conference held from 3rd to 4th November 2024 at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra.
The African Conference of Chief Financial Officers (CACFO) provides a fresh and unique platform for African CFOs to come together and reflect on the unique but common challenges facing their work as chief executives of corporate finance portfolios on the continent and beyond.
The new challenges posed by the recent global pandemic, coupled with ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainties, have brought the CFO’s job into sharper focus than ever before, forcing a nuanced rethink of the CFO as a niche executive community leading the financial management of African companies as it impacts this issue.
Structured to reflect the diversity and range of trending themes impacting the work of modern CFOs, CACFO delved into topics such as sustainable finance and ESG, AfCFTA and trade finance, the impact and opportunities of AI in project finance in Africa, Africa’s post-pandemic risk and economic challenges, and Africa’s credit and liquidity challenges.
Corporate finance, corporate governance, CFO jobs, etc.
However, the turning point for many participants at this year’s event was the introduction of the African Financial Leaders Awards, which focuses on celebrating excellence in finance by recognizing honors and achievements in the financial field.
“Today, we are building the future of African financial leadership one decision, one innovation, and one leader at a time.” Managing Director. Ms Hannah Awuku from the African Council of Chief Financial Officers added that the winners “deserve every accolade”.
Dr. Ayo Adepoju received the 2025 Excellence in Corporate Financial Performance and Growth Award. He was appointed Group CFO in June 2025 and subsequently Group Executive Director, leading a finance team of approximately 250 professionals from 35 countries. Under his leadership, Ecobank has strengthened its financial resilience through groundbreaking transactions such as Eurobonds and sustainability bonds, and significantly increased its presence in global capital markets.
His strategic oversight was instrumental in driving Ecobank’s growth, transformation and profitability strategy, optimizing capital allocation and driving company-wide transformation initiatives, resulting in improved financial performance across Africa.
Dr. Adepoju’s visionary leadership, deep institutional knowledge and extensive experience have been central to maintaining Ecobank’s competitiveness and growth trajectory.
Other award recipients include His Excellency Naji Mohamed Issa, Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Ghana, and Semiu of First Bank Ghana. – Mr. Lamidi, Mr. Tsolophelo Molefe, Chief Financial Officer of South Africa’s leading telecommunications group MTN, and Mr. Ibukun Oyedeji, who played a pivotal role in guiding Access Bank’s continued corporate financial success in 2025.
Addressing those gathered at the ceremony, the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Ghanaian President’s Office, Nana Oye Bampoe-Addo, commended the award winners, expressing the view that “they have demonstrated financial soundness,” adding that it is not just about profit margins, but also about foresight, integrity and influence.
Organizers of the Africa Finance Leaders Awards say the newly launched scheme has five key objectives, including the need to ensure transparency and fairness in the process of selecting winners in a way that fosters excellence, fosters innovation, strengthens competitiveness, recognizes impact and promotes sustainability.
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