25th Connected Banking Summit – West Africa 2026 Concludes Successfully, Celebrating a Landmark Silver Jubilee Edition

Accra, Ghana | 25 February 2026
The 25th Connected Banking Summit – West Africa | Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 concluded successfully at the prestigious Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, marking a historic Silver Jubilee Edition and celebrating 25 impactful editions of shaping banking innovation across Africa.

Organized by the International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA), the summit brought together senior government officials, CEOs, CIOs, CISOs, fintech leaders, risk professionals, and digital transformation experts under the powerful theme:
“Next-Gen Finance West Africa: Resilient, Scalable & Customer-Centric.”
The milestone edition reaffirmed West Africa’s leadership in digital banking transformation, AI integration, cybersecurity resilience, embedded finance, and financial inclusion.

Distinguished Guest of Honour

Hon. Samuel Nartey George (MP) – Honourable Minister, Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology & Innovations

Summit Chairperson

Dr. Gillian Hammah – Founder, GradePoint AI & Chief Marketing Officer, Aya Data

Complete Speaker Line-Up

The 25th Silver Jubilee Edition featured an exceptional lineup of industry leaders:
Dr. Philip Oti-Mensah – CEO, Universal Merchant Bank
Ebow Quayson – Acting Managing Director & Executive Head, Prudential Bank Ghana
Emmanuel Morka – Regional CIO, Access Bank Plc
Yuvraj Kumar – Senior Principal Product Manager, Azentio
Aleksey Trefilov – CEO, BRIX365
Rachel Adeshina – Group CIO, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd.
Kenneth Amponsah – Chief Risk Officer, UBA Ghana
Leopold L.L. Armah – CIO, Prudential Bank Ghana
Emem Umoh – CISO & Data Protection Supervisor, Zenith Bank Ghana
Seth Frimpong-Manso – Regional CISO, Access Bank Plc
Randy Osei Pipim – CISO – Risk, Prudential Bank Ghana
Sylvia Sedo – CISO, UBA Ghana
Folake Egunjobi – Senior Business Development Manager, Thunes
Manasseh Afoh – CIO, Republic Bank Ghana
William Danso-Abeam – Country Head, Consumer Banking, Ecobank Ghana
Kenneth Ugwuanyi – Group Head, Transaction Banking, UBA

Gloria F.A. Cabutey-Adodoadji – Group Head, SME & Retail Banking, Zenith Bank Ghana
Moustafa Samir Taha Mohamed – Senior Banking Technology Consultant, Azentio
Yaw Amoah Adum-Attah – Head, Innovation & Implementation, OmniBSIC Bank
Henry Nii Dottey – Regional Head, Brand, Marketing & Corporate Communications, UBA
Laurinda Addy – Head of Customer Experience, CALBank PLC
Senanu Datsa – Head, Information Systems Audit & Assurance, First Atlantic Bank
Alex Orleans-Boham – Head, Credit Administration & Control, Consolidated Bank Ghana
Alexander Forson – Head of E-Business, Agricultural Development Bank Ghana
Ernestina Mensah – Head of Market Risk, Bank of Africa Ghana
Kwaku Saforo – Head, Group Remittances, FinTech & eChannels Operations, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated
Their collective insights shaped powerful conversations around AI-driven banking, cyber resilience, digital lending, risk transformation, ESG leadership, and scalable financial inclusion.

Sponsors & Strategic Partners
The 25th Connected Banking Summit – West Africa 2026 was proudly supported by:
Platinum Sponsor
Azentio
Gold Sponsors
BRIX365
Thunes
Banking Partner
Prudential Bank LTD (PBL)
Their commitment to innovation, enterprise transformation, and financial ecosystem development played a pivotal role in the success of this Silver Jubilee Edition.

Innovation & Excellence Awards 2026 – Award Winners

The evening concluded with the prestigious Innovation & Excellence Awards ceremony, recognizing outstanding institutions and leaders.
Institutional Award Winners
Excellence in Cash Management – Standard Chartered Bank Ghana
Excellence in Banking Services – FBN Ghana Limited
Excellence in Private Banking – Stanbic Bank Ghana
Excellence in Commercial Banking – Fidelity Bank Ghana
Excellence in Corporate Banking – Absa Bank Ghana
Excellence in Investment Banking – Société Générale Ghana
Outstanding Leadership in Banking – Republic Bank Ghana
Excellence in Customer Experience – CalBank PLC
Excellence in Data Security – Zenith Bank (Ghana) Ltd
Excellence in Banking Innovation – Consolidated Bank Ghana
Excellence in Digital Innovation – First National Bank Ghana
Excellence in Consumer Banking – Prudential Bank Limited
Excellence in Retail Banking – GCB Bank PLC
Excellence in SME Banking – Universal Merchant Bank
Excellence in Financial Inclusion – Access Bank (Ghana) Plc
Best Bank for ESG – UBA Ghana Ltd
Excellence in E-Banking – OmniBSIC Bank
Best Bank in Ghana – Ecobank Ghana Plc
Leadership Award Winners
CISO of the Year – Emem Umoh
CIO of the Year – Emmanuel Morka
CEO of the Year – Daniel Asiedu

The awards continue to uphold ICSA’s mission to Connect, Integrate, and Transform the banking ecosystem across Africa.

Looking Ahead – Connected Banking 2026 Global Series
Following the success of the 25th Silver Jubilee Edition in Accra, the Connected Banking 2026 Global Series continues across eight powerhouse markets this year:
26th Edition – Nairobi, Kenya | March 2026
27th Edition – Cairo, Egypt | April 2026
28th Edition – Johannesburg, South Africa | July 2026
29th Edition – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | August 2026
30th Edition – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | September 2026
31st Edition – Istanbul, Turkey | October 2026
32nd Edition – Muscat, Oman | November 2026
8 Countries. One Vision. A Year of Impact.

The journey continues as Connected Banking 2026 drives the next chapter of resilient, scalable, and customer-centric financial transformation across emerging markets.