Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), has been conferred with the Distinguished African Development Finance Leadership Award – Regional Integration & Economic Transformation at the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) 2026, held at the House of Lords, United Kingdom. Presented by the African Leadership Organisation (UK) and the Editorial Board of African Leadership Magazine, the award recognises Dr. Donkor’s strategic oversight of EBID’s institutional expansion and its measurable contribution to cross-border economic coordination within West Africa.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Donkor stated that Africa no longer needs vision alone but velocity in execution, emphasising that the continent’s economic transformation depends on its collective ability to finance strategic infrastructure, deepen regional integration, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and build competitive value chains. He further addressed the African Continental Free Trade Area, asserting that its viability hinges upon deliberate investment in industrial infrastructure, digital systems, and regional production networks, and called for structured coordination among governments, development finance institutions, and private capital providers to reduce trade barriers and enhance the continent’s global competitiveness.
Under Dr. Donkor’s tenure, EBID has registered significant capital deployment across priority sectors, including approximately USD 1 billion allocated to regional energy infrastructure, over USD 1.1 billion directed towards small and medium-sized enterprise financing, and close to USD 450 million committed to agriculture and agro-processing value chains, alongside supplementary financing for ongoing transport, energy, and telecommunications interconnection projects that reinforce regional trade corridors.
Among the high-profile dignitaries at the event were some Members of the House of Lords, United Kingdom, a Member of Congress from South Carolina, United State of America, H.E. Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Ministers, members of the banking fraternity, scholars, policymakers, and members of the Diplomatic Corps.