Marufatu Abiola Bawuah
Marufatu Abiola Bawuah | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1968 Aflao, Ghana |
| Occupation(s) | Business leader, financial expert |
| Known for | First female managing director and CEO of United Bank for Africa; regional CEO of UBA West Africa |
Marufatu Abiola Bawuah (born 25 September 1968) is a prominent Ghanaian business leader and financial expert. In 2014, she broke new ground by becoming the first female managing director and CEO of United Bank for Africa. Her professional excellence has been recognized through various honors, such as the 2016 Marketing Woman of the Year award from the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana and the Finance Personality of the Year accolade at the Ghana Accountancy and Finance Awards.
Education
Raised in Aflao, Bawuah completed her secondary studies at Achimota School. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Lagos in Nigeria and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of London. Additionally, she earned a marketing diploma from the GIMPA and an Executive MBA specializing in finance from the University of Ghana.
Her leadership development is further enhanced by executive education programs attended at prestigious institutions including Harvard Business School, Columbia University, New York University, INSEAD, and Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland.
Career
Currently, Bawuah serves as the regional CEO of United Bank for Africa (UBA), directing operations across six West African nations: Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Prior to joining UBA, she gained experience at several financial institutions: she worked as a Business Relationship Officer at Standard Chartered Ghana, held a relationship manager position at CAL Bank, operated as an authorized dealing broker with Strategic African Securities, and served as an investment officer at the legal firm Bentsi-Enchi and Letsa (now Bentsi-Enchil, Letsa and Ankomah). In January 2023, she was appointed as the first female CEO for UBA Africa.
Works
- Bawuah is the author of Chosen from the Darkness, a personal memoir.
- She established the Aboala Bawuah Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to advancing education opportunities for girls.
Achievements and awards
- Recipient of the 2016 Marketing Woman of the Year award by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG).
- Honored as Finance Personality of the Year during the 2016 Ghana Accountancy and Finance Awards.
- Listed among Africa's 50 Most Influential Women in Business by the African Report in July 2018.
- Winner of the EMY Awards Woman of the Year in 2020.
Personal life
Bawuah is married and has three children.