Board of Directors
Experienced administrators with complementary profiles
M. Guy SAUVANET
Independent director
Independent non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board
Mr Guy Sauvanet is an independent non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board. He is a graduate of HEC Paris and holds a DECS degree. He began his career as an auditor with a major French banking group. Between 1986 and 2015, he served as General Manager of commercial banks in various French- and English-speaking African countries. He joined the Board of Directors of a DRC bank in 2016 as an independent director. He is also a director of a guarantee fund and a leasing company.
M. Francis EZIN
Financial
Representative of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)
Mr. Francis Ezin has been the permanent representative of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) on the Board since April 2020. He is the institution’s Director of Administration and General Services.
With over 27 years of experience, he is a seasoned Financier and an experienced Manager, with a good command of Banking Operations, Business Law, and Human Capital Management. Previously an auditor and member of the Ecobank Group's Bank Evaluation team, he was Deputy Head of Banking Operations at Ecobank-Benin, then Director of Human Resources for Ecobank Togo, Ecobank Benin, and the Retail Banking segment of the entire Ecobank Group.
A graduate of HEC Paris in Banking Management, he holds an Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (Executive DBA) with a triple specialization:
• in Finance (Masters in Finance),
• in Law (Masters in Business Law), and
• in Human Capital Management (Masters in Human Resources Management).
M. Edmond ADJIKPE
Head of the Public-Private Partnerships Department at SHELTER AFRIQUE
Permanent Representative of SHELTER AFRIQUE
Mr Edmond Adjikpe is the Permanent Representative of SHELTER AFRIQUE.
He holds an MBA in Banking and Finance with a financial market Option from CESAG and a Diplôme d'Ingénieur des Travaux Statistiques et Démographie from the Ecole Nationale d'Economie Appliquée (ENEA) in Dakar, Senegal. He has over 19 years of professional experience, including 17 years in the banking and financial sector. His professional career continued with SHELTER AFRICA, where he spent over 12 years and is currently Regional Representative for West-Central Africa and North Africa. His main missions are representing his institution to member states and negotiating, structuring, and monitoring financing implementation. Mr. Adjikpe is also Head of the Public-Private Partnerships and Sovereign Loan Department covering the 44 member countries of SHELTER AFRIQUE.
M. Léonce YACE
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the NSIA Group
Permanent representative of NSIA Banque CI (formerly BIAO-CI) on the Board of Directors
Mr Léonce Yace, permanent representative of NSIA Banque CI (formerly BIAO-CI) on the Board of Directors, is the Managing Director of this shareholder. He is also Deputy Managing Director of the NSIA Group and Director of several subsidiaries, notably NSIA Banque Bénin, NSIA Banque Guinea, NSIA Finance and NSIA Asset Management. He holds a Specialized Master’s degree in Corporate Tax Management from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Lille (France) and a Professional Master’s degree in Corporate Law, Corporate Jurist option, from the Université Lille 2 (France).
Mrs. Nana Aissa KOUSSA, Spouse of ANGO
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Banque Internationale pour l’Afrique (BIA Niger)
Permanent representative of Banque Internationale pour l’Afrique (BIA Niger) on the Board of Directors
Mrs. Nana Aissa KOUSSA, Spouse of ANGO, Permanent Representative of Banque Atlantique Mali (BAML) on the Board of Directors, is the Chief Executive Officer of Banque Internationale pour l'Afrique (BIA Niger).
The first woman to hold the position of CEO of a bank in Niger, she played a key role in the establishment of Ecobank and Banque Atlantique in Niger.
She chaired the Fédération des Associations Professionnelles de Banques et Établissements Financiers de l’UEMOA (FABPEF-UEMOA) from 2021 to 2022, and the Association Professionnelle des Banques et Établissements Financiers du Niger (APBEF/N) for 8 years until February 2023.
Mrs. ANGO holds a postgraduate degree (DESS) in Finance, Banking, and Management from the Institut Supérieur de Management (ISM) in Dakar. She also obtained a CESA from HEC Paris and an Executive Certificate in General Management of Banking Activities from HEC Paris.
M. Louis ADANDE
Director Saoti Finance
Independent non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board
Mr. Louis Adandé is an independent non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board. Since 2006, he has headed Saoti Finance, a financial advisory firm specializing in sub-Saharan Africa. The firm supports African SMEs in their debt and equity financing operations and African-owned banks in improving their risk management performance. Mr. Louis Adandé also sits on the Board of Directors of commercial banks in West and East Africa. As a corporate director, Mr. Louis Adandé focuses on creating and preserving corporate value by promoting growth initiatives and robust risk-taking and management. Before founding Saoti Finance, Mr. Louis Adande spent 23 years as an executive and then manager of subsidiaries within Citigroup in a dozen West and Central African countries. This career path enabled him to develop a strong expertise in financial institutions and banking risk management. Louis Adandé holds an MBA from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Paris and is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.
M. Magloire Nelson SOSSOUVI
Expert Consultant in Banking and Finance
Independent non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board
Mr. Magloire Nelson Sossouvi has been an Independent non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board since the General Shareholders’ Meeting on 25 April 2019.
Mr. SOSSOUVI held several positions of responsibility in banking supervision in the UMOA region from 1991-2014 and worked as an associate with the law firm (Robert M. DOSSOU et Associés). Mr. Magloire has also worked for over a decade in higher education, teaching in schools and universities in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. He is a chartered consultant in Banking and Finance and worked from 2014 to 2023 as a consultant in several companies in the banking and financial sectors (training for the banking profession and the microfinance sector, assistance with the creation and restructuring of credit institutions, advice on the implementation of the Banking Commission’s post-audit recommendations). He holds a PhD in Business and Economic Law from the University of Orléans, France, and the Certificat d'Aptitude à la Profession d'Avocat since 1991. “
M. Dontou DEROU
CEO of GROUPE CONFORTIS INTERNATIONAL SA
Independent Director of CRRH-UEMOA
Mr. Dontou Derou has been a non-executive member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board since the General Shareholders’ Meeting of 25 April 2019.
Mr. Dontou Derou has been Chairman and CEO of GROUPE CONFORTIS INTERNATIONAL SA/ Développement de villes nouvelles since 1 January 2009 and has also worked with several architectural firms in the West African sub-region and France.
An architect and urban planner by profession, he is also a real estate expert approved by the courts of the Togolese Republic and is the manager of DEROU & PARTNERS. Since August 05, 2009, he has been Consulting Architect to the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Consulting Architect to the Banque Internationale pour l’Afrique au Togo (BIA-TOGO SA) since July 10, 2009, Consulting Architect to the Banque Sahel-Saharienne pour l’Investissement et le Commerce (BSIC-TOGO SA) since October 2007 and Consulting Architect to the Chargé de Missions of the President of the Republic of Benin for the reconstruction of the capital Porto-Novo.
Mr. Dontou Derou holds a DEIAU Architect-Urbanist diploma from EAMAU-Togo and a DEA in modelling and simulation of built spaces from the Nancy School of Architecture-France.
M. Thierry TANOH Chairman Board
Chairman of the Board of Directors of CRRH-UEMOA
Thierry TANOH has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of CRRH-UEMOA since 20 March 2023.
A product of École Supérieure de Commerce d’Abidjan (ESCA) and a chartered accountant, he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. For several years, he was Minister of Petroleum, Energy, and Renewable Energy, Deputy Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Managing Director of the Ecobank Group, Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and Western Europe of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). He is a member of several boards or strategic councils of companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Azalai Group, the Mercy Corps Foundation, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Yale University’s Presidential Council for International Affairs
M. Serge EKUE
President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD)
Permanent representative of BOAD on the Board of Directors
Mr Serge Ekue has been President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD) since 2020.
Before joining BOAD, Mr. Ekue had headed Natixis’ Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) activities for the United Kingdom in London since 2016. He combined this role with Market Solutions for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Serge Ekue was also Head of the Africa and Russia Departments at Natixis.
A renowned expert in financial and capital markets, Ekue headed Natixis’ markets activities for the Asia-Pacific region for almost six years (2010-2016) before assuming the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong-based bank. He has over twenty years of experience in international finance, structured finance, and markets, with extensive responsibilities worldwide.
Mr Serge Ekue holds an Executive MBA from HEC Paris, a DESS (post-graduate diploma) in Banking and Finance from Paris V, and a diploma from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Bordeaux. He also has extensive international experience.
M. Kassimou ABOU KABASSI
Chairman of the Board of Directors of BOA BENIN
Permanent Representative of BOA BENIN on the CRRH-UEMOA Board
Mr. Kassimou Abou Kabassi is the Permanent Representative of BOA BENIN on the CRRH-UEMOA Board. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of BOA BENIN and a board member of several WAEMU institutions, including Africaine des Garanties et du Cautionnement (AFGC), ASKY, and SOAGA. He has had a long career with the ETI group, serving as Managing Director and then Chairman of the Board of Directors of several of the group's subsidiaries.
He holds a graduate degree from the Institut Technique de Banque (Paris), a Diplôme d’Administrateur des Banques from the CEPAF, and a Master’s in Economics, majoring in Business Management.
M. Mamadou Bocar SY
Director and Chief Executive Officer of Banque de l'Habitat du Sénégal
Permanent representative of Banque de l'Habitat du Sénégal (BHS)
Mr Bocar SY - President of APBEFS and FABEF-WAEMU
Director and CEO of Banque de l'Habitat du Sénégal
Mr. Mamadou Bocar SY is a member of the CRRH-UEMOA Board and permanent representative of Banque de l'Habitat du Sénégal (BHS).
Mamadou Bocar SY is a graduate of the Centre d'Etudes Financières Economiques et Bancaires (CEFEB), with a DES in Banking Management from Paris 1 and a Masters in Economics.
In 1998, after 10 years with the Banque de l'Habitat du Sénégal, Mr SY joined BICIS to set up the first “Real Estate Affairs Department" within a universal bank in Senegal. Also, he represented BICIS on the Board of Directors of BHS.
In June 2006 he returned to BHS as Deputy Managing Director, and in December 2010 he became Managing Director of BHS.
Mr.SY is behind several innovative housing financing schemes. He has participated in various technical assistance and support missions to create Banque de l’Habitat in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Gabon, Chad, and CAR. His recognized expertise has earned him a seat on the Boards of Directors of Réseau Habitat & Francophonie (RHF) and CRRH-UEMOA.
He is currently Chairman of the Association Professionnelle des Banques & Etablissements Financiers du Sénégal (APBEFS) and of the Fédération des Associations Professionnelles des Banques et Etablissements Financiers de l’WAEMU (FABEF-WAEMU).