Abiola is the Regional CEO, UBA West Africa, overseeing the Group’s business in nine countries. She joined UBA Ghana in 2013 as Deputy Managing Director and was elevated to serve as the MD/CEO of UBA Ghana in January 2014. Abiola in March 2018 was appointed Regional CEO West Africa One, responsible for six countries prior to her current expanded role.
Prior to joining UBA, she was an Executive Director in a peer bank in Ghana, having previously held the positions of the General Manager, Marketing and Group Head, Retail Banking at the Bank. Abiola also worked at different times with other reputable banks as Head of Sales and Relationship Manager. She worked as an authorized dealing broker with Strategic African Securities and an Investment Officer with the then Bentsi-Enchi and Letsa; now Bentsi-Enchil, Letsa and Ankomah law firm. She has enormous wealth of experience in wholesale and retail banking as well as credit management.
Abiola holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, an LLB from the University of London, a diploma in Marketing from GIMPA and EMBA (Finance) from the University of Ghana. She is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Columbia, University of New York, INSEAD and Institute Villa Pierrefeu in Switzerland, where she had numerous leadership training.
During her tenure as MD/CEO UBA Ghana she was recognised for her performance and won the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Marketing Woman of the Year Award, Finance Personality of the Year Award at the Ghana Accountancy and Finance in 2016. She was listed as one of Africa’s 50 Influential Women in Business by the African Report in July 2018. Abiola won the Woman of the Year 2019 award at the 5th EMY Africa Awards, July 2020.
As part of her 50th birthday celebrations, Mrs. Abiola Bawuah launched a book which mainly chronicles her amazing life story. ‘Chosen from The Darkness’ an appropriate title of her 250-page biography about how perseverance took her from humble beginnings to become a celebrated and award-winning banker.
She also established the Abiola Bawuah Foundation (ABF) to contribute to the Girl-Child education in Ghana by way of giving back to society. Abiola Bawuah Foundation (ABF) is a non-profit organization, working to enhance the lives of girls who are disadvantaged, deprived and vulnerable. She committed over GHS100,000.00 into the production, publication and selling of her book titled, ‘Chosen from the Darkness’ as mentioned above. Proceeds from the sale of the books formed the seed funds for the NGO, Abiola Bawuah Foundation (ABF).
On October 11, 2018, which is the day set aside by the United Nations as THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD; Abiola Bawuah Foundation (ABF) launched ‘100 GIRLS PROJECT’. This project seeks to support 100 girls in a variety of ways that includes educational and welfare support. Currently, 70 girls have received educational and financial support from the Foundation. ABF is aimed to push the agenda to raise great women in Ghana through working with Social Activists, funding bodies and policy makers regionally and globally.
She is married with 3 children and volunteers as a motivational speaker to various churches, religious bodies, NGOs and women’s groups.
