Ecobank to train IFRC leaders on sustainable leadership

The Ecobank Academy is to train 150 senior leaders of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) from 45 African countries to strengthen their leadership skills to help in the development of the communities they serve.

A release issued in Accra by the management of Ecobank yesterday said the three-day ‘IFRC Africa Region Leadership Forum’ training course was being provided by the Ecobank Academy.
The academy delivers world-class management development courses and is the first pan-African corporate university, as well as one of the largest capability development centres in Africa.
The aim of the course is ‘Building African National Society leadership to be proud of’ and it will include training on leadership skills, leading National Societies effectively, partnership management, governance and responsibility, risk management and controls, sustainability, integrity and transparency, youth and gender engagement and the opportunities of digitisation.
The Group Head, Ecobank Academy, Mr Simon Rey, and the Chief Operating Officer of Ecobank Foundation, Mr Carl Manlan, said: “The Ecobank Academy and Ecobank Foundation have worked closely with the IFRC to devise training courses for their national leaders covering key leadership skills such as governance, accountability and sustainability.
“We have built a strong relationship with the IFRC and it is hugely gratifying that we can play a role in their impactful work supporting suffering communities.”

IFRC appreciation
For her part, the IFRC’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, said: “At the IFRC, we recognise that leadership is about solving problems. The training that our African leaders will receive from the Ecobank Academy will successfully position them to devise solutions to the challenges they face.”
She said, “Ecobank’s support in this, and in many other ways, is proving to be an invaluable asset in our work to address health, disasters and crises affecting communities throughout the African continent.”
Ecobank and the IFRC signed a partnership agreement in November 2018 to work closely together to empower local communities to cope with disasters more efficiently.
In addition to providing training, Ecobank is leveraging its digital banking and QR code capabilities to boost IFRC’s fundraising.
Initiatives on behalf of IFRC National Societies by Ecobank’s affiliate companies have seen the setting up of digital membership records and enrolment processes, Ecobank staff volunteering to help in communities facing crisis and the receipt of First Aid training from IFRC volunteers.