Marufatu Abiola Bawuah

Marufatu Abiola Bawuah (born 25 September 1968) is a Ghanaian finance and businesswoman. As of 2014, she became the managing director/chief executive officer of United Bank for Africa, making her the first women to have held that position. She has won several awards for her work which includes the 2016 Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana Marketing Woman of the Year and the Finance Personality of the Year Award at the Ghana Accountancy and Finance.[1][2][3][4][5]

Education edit

Bawuah grew up in Aflao and had her secondary level education at the Achimota School.[6] She furthered her education at the University of lagos in Nigeria, where she acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science. She later earned a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the University of London. She holds a diploma in marketing from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and an Executive of Master of Business Administration (EMBA) in finance from the University of Ghana.[7]

In the area of leadership, she holds several qualifications from Harvard Business School, Columbia, University of New York, INSEAD and Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland.[8][9][10][5]

Career edit

She is currently the regional chief executive officer (CEO) of United Bank for Africa, in charge of six countries comprising Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone.[2][11] Prior to that, she worked with Standard Chartered Bank as a Business Relationship Officer, CAL Bank as a relationship manager, the Strategic African Securities as an authorised dealing broker, and with the then Bentsi-Enchi and Letsa (now Bentsi-Enchil, Letsa and Ankomah) law firm as an investment officer.[7] [3][8][9]  In January 2023, Abiola Bawuah becomes the first female CEO of UBA Africa.[1].

Works edit

  • Bawuah authored Chosen from the Darkness which is a memoir[6]
  • She founded a non-profit organization called Aboala Bawuah Foundation [12]

Achievements and awards edit

  • 1n 2016, she was honoured the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Marketing Woman of the Year Award[10][13][14][15]
  • She won the 2016 Finance Personality of the Year Award at the Ghana Accountancy and Finance.
  • Named as one of Africa's 50 Influential Women in business by the African Report in July 2018
  • She awarded the EMY Awards Woman of the Year 2020[16]

Personal life edit

She is married with three children.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "From table-top groundnut seller to Regional CEO of UBA – Story of Abiola M. Bawuah". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  2. ^ a b "Meet Marufatu Abiola Bawuah, the woman who went from being a table-top groundnut seller to a Regional CEO of UBA". www.pulse.com.gh. 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  3. ^ a b "UBA's Abiola Bawuah argues for people power". The Africa Report.com. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  4. ^ ""Technology, though very important, thrives on distinguished Customer Service" Mrs. Marufatu Abiola Bawuah (Regional CEO, West Africa 1, UBA)". Vaultz Magazine. 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  5. ^ a b "UBA Ghana MD Named CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year 2016". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  6. ^ a b Aryee, Naa Ayeley (2019-01-15). "Inspiring story of Ghanaian table-top groundnut seller turned CEO of UBA". Yen.com.gh. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  7. ^ a b c "Marufatu Abiola Bawuah A journey of perseverance to the top". Graphic Online. 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  8. ^ a b Hayford, Norvan Acquah. "UBA appoints Abiola Bawuah as Regional CEO". Business & Financial Times Online. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  9. ^ a b "UBA's Abiola Bawuah Now Cross-Border Regional CEO". Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  10. ^ a b "UBA Appoints Abiola Bawuah As Regional CEO for 6 West African Countries". African Eye Report. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  11. ^ "#50FromGhana: A celebration of 50 awesome Ghanaian women and their excellence". www.pulse.com.gh. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  12. ^ "Abiola Bawuah Foundation to support 100 Girls". ghananewsagency.org. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  13. ^ "UBA Ghana MD named CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year 2016". www.myjoyonline.com. 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  14. ^ "MTN, UBA CEOs crowned 2016 CIMG Marketing Man, woman of the year". kasapafmonline.com. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  15. ^ "MTN,UBA CEO's named 2016 CIMG Marketing Personalities of the Year". Graphic Online. 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  16. ^ "EMY Africa Awards – 2020". emyafrica.com. 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-26.