United Bank for Africa (UBA) Ghana, has announced the appointment of Kweku Andoh Awotwi as Board Chairman of the bank following approval by the bank of Ghana.

Mr Awotwi is the immediate past Managing Director of Tullow Oil Ghana Ltd and Executive Vice President of Tullow Oil Plc.  

He has over 30 years of work experience, having occupied various managerial positions in both national and multinational organisations notable amongst them being the Volta River Authority, Tullow Oil and Ashanti Goldfields Company.

Mr Awotwi is expected to bring on board, his rich experience spanning several sectors of the local and global economy to support the Bank to attain its Strategic objectives.

Commenting on the appointment, Managing Director and CEO of UBA GhanaF Balogun Olalekan described Mr Awotwi as a consummate professional who has a deep understanding of corporate governance and businesses development.

“He will offer the leadership to take UBA Ghana to the next level towards becoming a dominant player in the Banking Industry in Ghana. Mr Awotwi brings a wealth of experience with a strategic vision for our organisation, and that will be critical to our ability to scale and meet the growing demand for excellent banking solutions for our cherished customers.”

For his part, Mr Awotwi described his appointment as a new challenge which he is looking forward to.

He expressed his gratitude to the existing Board Members and the UBA Group Board for the work they have done so far in positioning United Bank for Africa as a relevant Bank in Ghana and the continent of Africa.  

He added: “I am excited for what the future holds as we position the Bank as a dominant player in the financial services and banking sector in Ghana”.

As part of its efforts to build a strong and vibrant Board, UBA Ghana, in 2019, appointed Francis Koranteng, Samuel Ayim and Ivan Avereyireh to the Board as Independent Non-Executive Directors while Mrs Abiola Bawuah was also appointed a Non-Executive Director.

Earlier this year, the Bank of Ghana also approved the appointments of Balogun Olalekan and Sylvia Inkoom as Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director respectively and they are currently Executive Directors on the Board of UBA Ghana.

Mr Awotwi’s appointed is, therefore, part of the overall strategy to strengthen the capacity of the Board to ensure effective leadership of the Bank.

Background

Kweku Andoh Awotwi has over 30 years of work experience from different organisations and institutions holding various portfolios.

He started his career as a Design Engineer at ITT- Advanced Technology Center and the GE/RCA David Sarnoff Laboratory both in the United States between 1984-1988.

After obtaining his MBA he worked at Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation in California, USA between 1990-1998, and left as Manager of Business Planning & Analysis for the Primary Business Unit.  

He then went to work for Ashanti Goldfields Limited between 1998-2004 as Director of Strategic Planning and New Business Development.

Kweku has been involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures, notable among which include the development and completion in 2019 of the Kpone Independent Power Project. 

He also became the CEO for Midway Resources International between 2005-2009.  In 2009, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Volta River Authority, a position he held for just under five years, leaving at the end of 2013.

Most recently, Kweku was appointed Managing Director of Tullow Ghana Limited in March 2018 and later promoted to the position of Executive Vice President, Tullow Plc, UK in April 2019 and retired in June, 2020.

At the Board level, Kweku has these notable board experiences:

– Chairman, Volta River Authority (Ghana), 2017 – date.
– Chairman, Multimedia Group Limited (Ghana), 2008 – date. 
– Member, Center for Democratic Development, 2018 – date
– Chairman, Stanbic Bank (Ghana) Ltd, 2012 – 2018
– Member, West African Gas Pipeline Company, 2009 – 2013.
– Member, West African Power Pool, 2009- 2013.

Mr. Awotwi holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Electrical Engineering, Economics & Political Science from Yale University, USA.

He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in General Management and International Business, from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, USA.