United Bank for Africa UBA in Sierra Leone has set an unprecedented record with the appointment of a Sierra Leonean as the first Managing Director. Mohamed Alhajie Samoura is the first MD of not only UBA, but also the first MD of a Nigerian-originated bank in Sierra Leone. By this positive development it is an encouragement to other Sierra Leoneans to work harder to pave way for prospective and promising talents. Until his appointment as MD, he was the Executive Director, Business Development of UBA SL. In this interview with TheNEWS magazine, Mohamed spoke on his appointment and other development issues of the bank

I am humbled and proud of this appointment as the first Sierra Leonean to attain such position in the bank. My appointment has demonstrated the bank’s commitment in empowering young people and Sierra Leoneans in top positions. This appointment has shown that UBA has a fair approach when it comes to appointment across the Group. This is a motivation to Sierra Leoneans working in UBA that anyone can head the bank. I also feel that other foreign banks in the country would change their perspective that Sierra Leone has competent people to managing their businesses.

I can best describe myself as a seasoned corporate banker with close to two decades of working experience in Sierra Leone banking industry.  Until my appointment as the Acting Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of UBA Sierra Leone, I was the Executive Director, Business Development in the bank. I am passionate about banking and has a strong drive to create impact in the business and financial arena. I was working at Ecobank as Corporate Banker and I managed one of their branches in Makeni. During my work at Ecobank  Sierra Leone, I was able to transform a loss-making branch to a profit-making branch. I have several accolades and most recently named amongst the 100 Most Outstanding Executives in Sierra Leone by the Sierra Ovation Awards.  I can swiftly say, I am bringing on board wealth of experience and understanding of the country’s corporate and institutional banking landscape to further strengthen UBA’s strategic place in the market.

The beauty about Sierra Leone’s banking industry, we have 14 commercial banks, we all compete in a healthy way to driving financial inclusion in line with the Central Bank’s objective to ensure that every Sierra Leonean have access to financial services. UBA Sierra Leone is a member of the Sierra Leone Association of Commercial Banks (SLACB), this association provides a professional forum for its member banks to work together on a cooperative basis. My approach is to work with colleagues in the industry that will improve the financial service sector in the country.

I want to start by appreciating my predecessor Mr Usman for the confidence he reposed on me to step in his big shoes. I regard him as my mentor in the UBA Family. His passion for excellence and results oriented in the business and the UBA Brand are unmatched. To me, I have resolved on following his footsteps to making sure that his Project Alpha Initiative he instituted in 2020 becomes a reality by attending industry leadership in all sectors:

Become No. 1 bank in Profitability.

Become No. 1 bank in Deposit Base

Become Top 3 Bank in Risk Assets Portfolio

Become No. 1 bank in Customer Base

Be the Best Bank in Digital Banking products reliability.

Become No. 1 bank in Customer Service Standard Ranking

Become No. 1 bank in Brand Equity/Top of mind Awareness.

Be the Industry Role Model Bank in Corporate Governance

One thing I am happy about is that the team on ground is not new to me, they are my colleagues, I have been working with them over the years. I am confident to sustain and improved on the gains from my processor.

I know I am not only representing myself in this role but also Sierra Leone, and if I succeed, it will open doors for other Sierra Leoneans.

UBA Sierra Leone remains very liquid and adequately capitalized, with capital adequacy ratio of 112.5% (2020: 112.7%) which is well above the regulatory minimum of 15%. As a global bank, we remain well capacitized and determined to successfully drive financial inclusion on the continent through our innovative products and vast network. Our capital buffer remains strong to support our business growth and branch expansion plan, particularly as we are also leveraging internally generated capital by way of prudent and pragmatic high level of earnings retention over the years.

Let me quickly add that, despite the highly competitive operating environment, we leveraged our franchise and deepened our market share across our key focus sectors by increasing our share of existing customer’s wallet while also on-boarding new customers. I am   particularly pleased with the growth in our retail and corporate deposits which is a testament to our investment in service channels, digital banking offerings and renewed focus on superior customer experience across all our contact points.

The media remains one of the strongest stakeholders of the bank. The good news is, my predecessor was a friend of the media, I am a son of the media. My father was a journalist who contributed immensely to the development of the media landscape in Sierra Leone. I would ensure to work and support the media industry in Sierra Leone.