The Leadership of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Ghana Limited last Saturday converged on Accra to honour the company’s first Board Chairman, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim, who has been at the company’s helm of affairs for the past 15 years.
At a well-attended farewell dinner in his honour, managers, staff, friends, banking sector bigwigs and well-wishers took turns to heap praises on the GTBank’s majority single shareholder.
Key among personalities present were the Group CEO of Guaranty Trust Holding Company, Segun Agbaje; the current Board Chairman of GTBank, Joseph Kofi Amoa-Awuah; renowned Economist, Kwame Pianim; Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo; the Chief Executive Officer of Engineers & Planners Limited and Dzata Cement Limited, Ibrahim Mahama, and a former president of the Ghana Association of Banks, Naa Alhassan Andani, among others.
The ceremony was chaired by the Paramount Chief of the Assin Owirenkyi Traditional Area (Assin Kushea) in the Central Region, Nana Prah Agyensaim VI.
Alhaji Ibrahim was also presented with gifts and portraits in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the company’s success.
Bowing out
Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim (4th from left), immediate past Board Chairman, GTBank, cutting the send off cake. Assisting him are Sir Sam Jonah (left), CEO of Jonah Capital, Yaw Osafo-Maafo (5th from left), Senior Presidential Advisor, Segun Agbaje (right), Group CEO, Guaranty Trust Holding Company, Nana Prah Agyensaim VI (2nd from left), Paramount Chief of Assin Owirenkyi Traditional Area, and other dignitaries. Pictures: ERNEST KODZI
After 15 years at the helm as board chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim has had to retire from the role in accordance with the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) revised transitional provisions in its Corporate Governance directive which came into force in September 2018.
Per the revised provisions, the term of office of a board chairperson of a regulated financial institution shall not be more than three years and may be renewed for one additional term only.
However, if a board chairperson of a regulated financial institution had been in office for more than six years prior to the coming into force of the directive, he shall not be eligible for another term upon the expiration of the current term of his appointment.
Qualities
Leading the board members to eulogise their former Chairman, the bank’s CEO, Mr Agbaje, spoke highly of Alhaji Ibrahim’s sober, humble, and father-figure nature that had carried the company’s board through time to concur on issues effortlessly without voting.
He expressed gratitude to Alhaji Ibrahim for giving his licence to the Nigerian Bank, which has grown to become a bank serving the Ghanaian people.
“ By giving his licence to the Bank, what Alhaji Ibrahim did was to create a Ghanaian bank; GTBank Ghana is not a Nigerian bank, it is a Ghanaian bank.
“That was done through Alhaji’s selflessness, humility and vision of what was possible,” he said.
He added that under the stewardship of Alhaji Ibrahim, shareholders of the bank hardly disagreed on an issue.
One thing I do know is that no business can succeed if the shareholders and founders disagree always instead of finding a common platform to march forward even when there was a disagreement.
“Under Alhaji Ibrahim, we have never left the board meeting in disagreement, we hardly had to vote as a board to settle on a decision.
“The values and everything he left will always be there for us to follow.
“You can never say a farewell to a founder, Alhaji Ibrahim will always be with us,” GT Bank Ghana’s CEO emphasised.
Inspiration
The current Board Chairman, Mr Amoa-Awuah, said Alhaji Ibrahim’s story in the annals of the bank would remain for the business world, saying Alhaji Ibrahim in his role as the board chairman for many years, had been instrumental in shaping the bank to its current status.
“He left no stone unturned as a board chairman and helped the bank sail through the turbulent times of the financial sector crisis.
“He has made the path less rough for anyone who steps in his shoes,” he added.
Nana Agyensaim VI said Alhaji Ibrahim’s name had become synonymous with GTBank and his professionalism of making it work had been there for all to see.
“Because of his tenacity, vision and leadership, GTBank stands tall in Ghana as an institution of reliability, innovation and customer centrism,” he stated.
Sustainability
The celebrant, Alhaji Ibrahim, expressed his appreciation for the honour done him.
He further expressed gratitude for the support and cooperation he had enjoyed while in charge as the board chairman and urged the leadership of the bank to work together to build on the gains which would help sustain and preserve GT Bank Ghana as one of the country’s successful indigenous banks.
Also, he said banks needed to embrace one another for the collective good of transforming the sector and continent’s fortunes.
More importantly, the former GTBank Ghana Board Chairman stressed the need for leaders in the banking sector to work diligently and honestly in their quest to give value to their customers.
SOURCE: GraphicOnline
