CIB Ghana champions ethical banking with inaugural national challenge – Academic City clinches top spot

 The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) Ghana has held the maiden edition of the National Banking and Ethics Challenge (NBEC), a pioneering competition aimed at promoting ethical banking prac­tices among tertiary students.

The event, held on Thursday at the Institute’s auditorium in Accra, featured five universities vying for top honours in a quiz-style contest centered on ethics, financial literacy, and professional conduct.

• Dr Botchway speaking at the event

The schools were Academic City University College, University of Ghana, Pentecost University College, University of Profes­sional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and Wisconsin International University College.

The competition unfolded in three progressive stages which were the preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals.

At the end of the prelimi­nary round, UPSA and Pentecost University College were eliminat­ed, while Wisconsin exited at the semi-final stage.

The final round saw a fierce contest between Academic City University College and the Univer­sity of Ghana, with Academic City emerging victorious.

Winners and other participants received plaques and cash prizes, while Academic City University was awarded a full scholarship to study a professional course at the Institute, in addition to other incentives.

Delivering the keynote address, Head of the Financial Stability Department at the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Kwasi Osei Yeboah, commended CIB Ghana for its leadership in advancing ethics in banking.

He expressed concern over the rising trend of bank staff involve­ment in fraud, which increased from 274 in 2023 to 365 in 2024, representing a 33 per cent rise.

“This disturbing trend con­trasts sharply with the values ex­pected of banking professionals,” he said, calling for urgent stake­holder collaboration to restore public trust. He stressed that ethics must be embedded at every level of banking operations. Events like these are critical in nurturing a new generation of ethically minded bankers who uphold integrity and professionalism,” he added.

The Chief Executive Officer of CIB Ghana, Mr. Robert Dzato, underscored the importance of banking education and financial literacy into schools, workplaces, and religious institutions.

“We all interact with money, so understanding how to manage it wisely, especially in an infla­tionary and dynamic economy, is essential for personal and national growth. This challenge is not just a competition; it is a platform for our future banking professionals to engage with ethical standards that are crucial for the integrity of our financial system. We are proud to have initiated this event and look forward to making it an annual affair,” he added.

Quiz Mistress and a Fellow of the Institute, Doris Ahiati, stated that the NBEC served three core audiences: the bank customer, the banking professional, and financial institutions.

“This challenge is our way of saying to the customer: we hear you. We are raising the bar in ethics and professionalism to rebuild your trust,” she said.

She praised the participants for their enthusiasm and knowledge, stating that the level of engage­ment and the quality of answers demonstrated by the contestants were remarkable.

“It is encouraging to see young minds so dedicated to understand­ing the ethics of banking,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, Vice President of CIB Ghana, Tog­be Asiama Krakani V, described the challenge as a transformative initiative aligned with the insti­tute’s mandate to regulate banking practice and promote professional development.

“This is not just a contest, it is a call to action to embed ethics into the DNA of our future pro­fessionals and institutions,” he said.

 BY TIMES REPORTER

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