Lomé, Togo- 5 October 2026– Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African banking group, marked the culmination of a three-year campaign on advancing digital education during its 14th edition of Ecobank Day, its flagship annual social impact initiative that brings together Ecobankers across 32 Sub-Saharan African countries to invest directly in the communities they serve. Serving as the social impact capstone of four decades of pan-African financial integration, trade enablement, and SME empowerment, Ecobank Day reinforced the Group’s commitment to extending its impact beyond banking by helping equip Africa’s youth with the digital and AI skills needed for the future.
Over the past three years, Ecobank Day has focused on transforming Africa through education, turning the Group’s annual day of action into a sustained investment in digital learning and future-ready skills. By the end of 2025, the campaign had established 66 IT Labs across Sub-Saharan Africa, surpassing its original target of 40—and reached 46,414 children and young adults with opportunities to develop digital, artificial intelligence (AI), coding, and robotics skills, exceeding the initial target of 40,000.
By anchoring community empowerment directly into its 40-year legacy of pan-African financial integration, the Group aligns its digital education footprint with its newly announced 2.6 billion strategic 2030 commitments dedicated to scaling women entrepreneurs ($2 billion via Ellevate) and agricultural value chains ($600 million).
Aligning social impact with Africa's economic transformation
“As we bring our milestone 40th anniversary year to a close, Ecobank Day reflects our founding conviction that commercial banking success must directly power community upliftment,” said Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Group. “I am tremendously grateful to our Ecobankers whose passion helped us reach this deeply meaningful milestone. Over four decades, we have witnessed firsthand the vast potential of Africa and the determination of its young people to build a better future. Seeing young students gain practical capabilities in coding, AI, and robotics gives me immense joy. This is where the future is headed.”
He added, “This digital empowerment directly complements our strategic 2030 vision unveiled at our 40th anniversary, where we committed $2.6 billion to scale women entrepreneurs and transform agricultural value chains. By equipping Africa's youth with digital capabilities today, we are preparing the entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders who will drive the continent's next economic chapter.”
From one-day action to lasting digital infrastructure
First launched in 2013, Ecobank Day has evolved into a pan-African platform that mobilizes Ecobankers for sustainable social development. TheTransforming Africa Through Education campaign built on that tradition by moving beyond a single day of community action to build infrastructure and skills that support learning over time.
The campaign progressed across three strategic phases, adapting to Africa’s evolving digital landscape:
- • First launched in 2023, Ecobank focused on building the foundation for digital literacy, establishing computer laboratories and providing essential IT equipment to schools and underserved communities.
- • In 2024, the programme expanded into more advanced digital skills, introducing AI, coding, and robotics - highlighted by involving the Happy Coders Academy in Côte d’Ivoire to foster creativity and problem-solving.
- • In 2025, the programme placed greater emphasis on inclusion, expanding access for learners with disabilities and special educational needs through assistive technologies and adapted learning environments, a focus driven by Ecobank employees themselves. In Benin, this commitment built on Ecobank’s support to the Centre for Inclusive Education for Deaf and Hearing Students (CAEIS) in Porto-Novo since 2023, including digital learning tools and connectivity, followed by a FCFA 6.6 million donation in 2025 to support the construction of a dedicated multimedia centre.
- • In 2026, the campaign expanded its impact by providing additional training and access to technology. In Togo, Ecobank donated computers to the country’s top 80 baccalaureate graduates, while also providing digital skills training to help equip them for the future.
Across Africa, these investments share a unified purpose: expanding access to digital tools, assistive technologies, high-speed connectivity, Learning Management Systems, and robotics programs to ensure young Africans actively participate in the digital economy.
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Media Contact:
Christiane Mbimbe Bossom
Group Communications
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated
Email: groupcorporatecomms@ecobank.com
Tel: +228 22 21 03 03
About Ecobank (or ‘Ecobank Transnational Incorporated’ or ‘ETI’)
Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 34 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 30 million customers. For further information, please visit www.ecobank.com