Ama Sarpong Bawuah

Ama Sarpong Bawuah is one of Ghana's most accomplished banking executives, a figure whose career has taken her to the leadership of some of the continent's most significant financial institutions. She currently serves as Board Chair of Access Bank Ghana, one of the country's leading commercial banks, bringing to that governance role a depth of operational experience accumulated over decades at the highest levels of African banking.

The defining chapter of her executive career was her tenure as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UBA Ghana, the Ghanaian subsidiary of United Bank for Africa, one of the continent's largest pan-African financial groups. Her appointment made her one of a small number of women to lead a major commercial bank in Ghana, and her performance in the role established her reputation as a strategic banking leader capable of driving institutional transformation. Under her leadership, UBA Ghana expanded its retail and corporate banking operations and deepened its presence in Ghana's competitive banking market.

Sarpong Bawuah has been recognised on continental platforms for her influence in African banking. She has been named among the continent's most powerful women in the banking sector by multiple rankings and publications, a recognition that reflects both her individual achievements and her broader role in demonstrating that women can and do lead at the highest levels of African financial institutions. Her public profile has made her a reference point for Ghanaian women pursuing careers in financial services.

Her appointment as Chair of Access Bank Ghana positions her at the governance level of a bank that has grown aggressively across Africa, including through its 2022 acquisition of Ghanaian assets. As Chair, she oversees the board's strategic direction, risk oversight, and leadership accountability, applying the operational knowledge built through years of executive management to the disciplines of corporate governance. The transition from CEO to Chair represents a shift in her contribution, from day-to-day operational leadership to the longer-horizon work of institutional stewardship.

Her inclusion in the 2026 Avance Media Top 100 Women Board Directors ranking reflects her continued centrality to Ghana's corporate governance landscape. Ama Sarpong Bawuah represents the kind of executive whose career has expanded what Ghanaian women can aspire to in financial services, not through advocacy alone, but through a record of sustained, high-level achievement.