Regional Chief Technology Officer, Anglophone West Africa

JOB PURPOSE

The Regional Chief Technology Officer, Anglophone West Africa (Regional CTO, AWA) has overall responsibility and accountability for the delivery, performance, and resilience of technology across Ecobank's AWA affiliates. The role encompasses:

• Regional technology strategy execution aligned to the Group technology agenda
• Integration, Product, Channels, and Support & Maintenance across the AWA cluster
• Regional cybersecurity posture, technology risk, and operational resilience
• Full ownership of the AWA regional technology budget (operating and investment)
• Leadership of Country IT Heads across the affiliates in the AWA Region
• Technology regulatory engagement across the markets in the (AWA) Region

The Regional CTO operates under joint accountability to the Group Chief Technology & Information Officer (for technology strategy, enterprise architecture, standards, and Group programme delivery) and the Regional Executive, AWA (for regional business outcomes, stakeholder alignment, and regulatory engagement). The role is the single senior technology leader in the region.

Additionally, the Regional CTO will represent Ecobank in interactions with regional regulators, strategic technology partners, and major vendors on all matters pertaining to technology and information in the AWA cluster.

JOB CONTEXT

As part of Ecobank's Growth, Transformation and Returns (GTR) strategic objectives, technology and digital transformation are key pillars. The AWA region spans five affiliates (Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Liberia) with Ghana as the largest and most technologically sophisticated affiliate. The region operates across tightly regulated markets, including the Bank of Ghana and four other central banks, with aggressive fintech competition, demanding customer expectations, and meaningful currency and infrastructure diversity across the cluster.

While Ecobank has historically run technology through strong Group-led central platforms, the Bank's strategic growth plans require a decentralized technology operating model that delivers Group coherence while allowing for regional autonomy and acceleration. The incoming Regional CTO will need to make this three-tier operating model (Central, Regional, Affiliate) work in practice across four principal workstreams of Integration, Product, Channels, and Support & Maintenance.

The Regional CTO will maintain high visibility and credibility with country Managing Directors across AWA and operate as a peer to business leadership on all technology-enabled decisions. The primary customers of the role are internal: the Regional Executive AWA, Country MDs, Regional Business Units, and frontline staff whose productivity and customer delivery depend on the technology Regional CTO operates.

The Regional CTO will collaborate across the organization as a strategic partner to the Group CTIO, the Regional Executive AWA, Group Transformation Office and other Group Executives, providing thought leadership on business issues enabled by technology.

The AWA regional technology function comprises a sizeable workforce across the affiliates, spanning IT operations, delivery, cybersecurity, infrastructure, channels, and vendor management.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Translate the Group technology strategy into an executable regional technology roadmap aligned with the AWA commercial agenda and the Bank's GTR objectives
• Champion delivery of technology solutions, intuitive tools, streamlined workflows, and digital enablement that enhance Employee and Customer Experience across AWA affiliates.
• Execute regional technology agenda through disciplined leadership, operational excellence, and strong business partnership with the Regional Executive AWA and country MDs
• Establish a coherent regional execution plan that supports the overall business strategy across all AWA affiliates
• Actively participate in key decision-making processes including regional strategic planning, investment prioritization, new product launches, and commercial programme design
• Represent the voice of the AWA region in Group technology strategy, enterprise architecture decisions, and Group investment prioritization
• Enable measurable regional commercial outcomes through effective deployment, adoption, and operation of Group-provided technology, identifying and prioritizing the opportunities where technology unlocks the most business value
• Drive digitization initiatives to automate processes and reporting across the region

Regional Operating Model (Decentralization of Work to be Done)

• Lead the regional execution of the three-tier technology operating model (Central, Regional, Affiliate) across the four principal workstreams:

• Integration: govern architecture adherence, own regional integration backbone, and resolve cross-country integration dependencies
• Product: translate Group product roadmap into regional deployment plans, own regulatory and commercial variants required in AWA, and sponsor regional product priorities back into the Group roadmap
• Channels: own channel performance, adoption, and customer experience across AWA, drive regional channel improvement programmes, and align channel priorities with Regional Executive AWA and country MDs
• Support & Maintenance: own Tier 2 support, regional infrastructure, cross-country support capability, regional vendor management, and major incident response

• Set clear accountabilities for Country IT Heads within the operating model and hold them accountable for affiliate execution
• Eliminate duplication between Group, Regional, and Affiliate layers, and resolve operating model tensions as they arise

Delivery & Transformation

• Own end-to-end delivery of Group-led technology programmes in the region, including core application transformations, payments and remittance platform evolution, and digital channels modernization
• Champion delivery of technology solutions that enhance Employee Experience, ensuring intuitive internal tools and digital enablement that empower teams across affiliates
• Lead the regional delivery of the Bank's on-going core banking application changes and integrations, maintaining business continuity across AWA affiliates through any transition
• Drive the regional digital agenda, from customer-facing channels to internal productivity platforms, ensuring consistent standards across AWA while ensuring contextualized country adaptation
• Sponsor and oversee regional and country-level technology projects, applying disciplined portfolio management, clear governance, and rigorous value tracking
• Deliver transparent, business-linked programme reporting that ties delivery progress to measurable regional commercial outcomes

Operations, Resilience & Cybersecurity

• Own the operational performance, availability, and stability of all technology platforms serving the AWA region’s customers and staff, against defined service levels
• Lead the regional cybersecurity posture in alignment with Group standards, maintaining effective threat detection, response, and recovery capability across the cluster
• Own regional technology risk, including business continuity, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience testing across all affiliates in the AWA region
• Act as on-the-ground incident commander for major technology incidents affecting the region, coordinating with the Group CTIO for Group-level response
• Ensure adherence to Group technology standards, architecture principles, and security controls across all AWA operations

Leadership and People Management

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing regional technology organization, with strong Country IT leadership across all AWA affiliates
• Motivate teams through transparent target setting and regular performance reviews
• Build a healthy talent pipeline and succession plan for all critical regional technology roles, with a strong emphasis on developing African technology leaders
• Foster a collaborative working environment that enables teams to achieve excellence, delivery, and ownership
• Ensure an agile workforce with the right skills to meet strategic objectives, balancing retained capability with selective vendor and partner augmentation

Budget & Financial Management

• Own and manage the full AWA regional technology budget, comprising both operating expenditure and CAPEX investment, within the envelope agreed jointly with the Group CTIO and Regional Executive AWA
• Drive productivity, cost discipline, and value-for-money across regional technology spend, including vendor rationalization and contract optimization
• Build transparent, business-linked financial reporting that ties technology investment to measurable regional commercial outcomes
• Challenge and defend regional technology investment proposals at Group forums, and hold Country IT Heads accountable for their country-level budgets

Regulatory, External Engagement & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the senior technology interface with regional regulators, including the Bank of Ghana and the central banks of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Liberia, on technology, cybersecurity, data, and operational resilience matters
• Lead technology-related regulatory inspections, audits, and remediation across AWA, in coordination with Group Compliance and Group Internal Audit
• Represent Ecobank in regional industry forums, technology partnerships, and strategic vendor relationships
• Build and maintain strong relationships with fintech ecosystem participants, telecoms partners, payment schemes, and switches relevant to AWA markets
• Operate as a peer and trusted advisor to country Managing Directors and the Regional Executive AWA on all technology-enabled commercial matters

Governance, Control & Operational Performance

• Ensure regional technology activity is fully compliant with Group policies, Group standards, and applicable regulatory requirements
• Maintain effective controls, documentation, and audit readiness across all AWA technology operations
• Chair the Regional Technology Committee, providing regular reporting to the Regional Executive Committee AWA and the Group Technology Leadership Team
• Monitor changes in the economic, regulatory, and business environment that may impact on the regional technology agenda
• Actively support internal audit, external audit, and regulatory examinations