The Lion King | 15
provided in the road map for the
‘Emerging Senegal’ Programme,
which has had considerable suc-
cess with the Paris Club.
We have started tracking all
the companies that are likely to
be awarded contracts and are
already planning for a new outlet
in the new Economic Zone whose
construction will start this year.
What is UBA Senegal’s retail
banking strategy?
According to Project Alpha, the
2014 strategy puts emphasis on
mobilising low cost deposits.
For the commercial corporate
segment the strategies are to
mobilise deposits along the value
chain, capture the flow and
exploit opportunities from the de-
velopment of the regional market
across Africa, strengthen our
focus on key growth sectors of
the economy such as Telecoms,
Energy , Retail , Cement and Mi-
crofinance institutions , and also
strengthen our portfolio of FMCG
companies, imports and exports.
We also intend to diversify the
portfolio of distributors of large
companies, savings products,
and intensify mass communi-
cation activities with targeted
campaigns and road shows to
boost the opening of accounts
and related products.
We also will strive for leadership
in E-banking at the branch level
by being aggressive selling E-
banking products, sell to our cus-
tomers at least 4 products, three
of which should be electronic
banking and be aggressive in the
deployment of electronic pay-
ment terminals, and mass distri-
bution of prepaid cards.
How do you think we can we
improve Mobile money usage
across UBA subsidiaries?
The question now is how to imple-
ment or expand Mobile money in
our respective markets.
It is true that telephone and
wireless internet connection
makes all services accessible to
unbanked customers, though the
penetration of mobile phones is
highly variable across countries.
Penetration rates range from less
than 10% in Ethiopia to nearly
100% in Gabon and Senegal -
the average being around 33%
for the entire African continent.
So to improve our penetration
across markets, subsidiaries in the
Group should aim to sign agree-
ments with various telecom op-
erators to access their platform
and sell our services.
The model of agency banking
is also a strategic platform for
expansion. It is a powerful tool
to increase presence, visibility
and network without increasing
operating costs.
Also the more we create banking
partnerships with the retailers,
the more we can expand access
to this mobile money. In Kenya,
for example, MPESA retailers are
about 70, 000, which is the key to
their success.
Optionally, we could pair mobile
money with our product Africard
so that it can be recharged from
the mobile phone. We could also
integrate products sold by TELCO
operators in the different pack-
ages we offer to our customers,
when opening accounts at our
counters.
These are things that we are
already experimenting with Bank
Insurance products.
What about UBA Senegal’s award
as “Bank of the Year” for the sec-
ond consecutive year?
This award is an important source
of motivation for our young and
dynamic team which spares no
effort to ensure that projects are
delivered in a timely manner.
The recognition, support and es-
pecially the renewed confidence
of the thousands of customers
constantly encourages us to con-
tinue, despite the stiff competi-
tion in the market.
With this award UBA Senegal
has been able to consolidate its
second tier position in the market
after only 5 years of existence, a
position which is accepted with-
out question by our peers.
How do you balance corporate
and family obligations?
It is unrealistic to say that we can
reconcile family life and profes-
sional life. One has to be some-
times imaginative and innovative
even to find simple solutions to
this delicate balance.
I am always trying to be a role
model to my children as well
as be a role model at the work
place the way my mum was my
role model.
I also involve my children in my
professional life and get some in-
puts from them. Today, for exam-
ple, I listen a lot to their advice
on clothing and lifestyle, and my
overall public image.
Growing the Seed
