Binta Toure Ndoye, A Banking Powerhouse with a Pan African Passion

In 2016, Malian banking powerhouse Binta Toure Ndoye, took over the helm of one of Africa’s fastest growing banks-Oragroup. Binta joined  Oragroup in 2015 as the deputy CEO following a stint with the Ecobank group where she had served as the CEO of the bank’s operations in Mali. Binta, who holds an MBA in Finance and International Economics and Development from the University of Central Oklahoma, took the helm of the bank from Patrick Mestrallet who had led the bank since 2009. Binta joined the bank as it embarked on a new growth path. The group has expanded its African foot print to 12 countries, operates in four monetary zones, and has pursued a strategy of acquisition through which it has acquired regional banks. The nearly 1700 employee bank has operations in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad, and Togo.

Binta often refers to herself as pan Africanist. And when you hear are articulate her passion and vision for the continent, her pan African fervour is palpable. Binta credits her pan African orientation to her parentage, being born to parents who were from different parts of the continent.  Binta’s parents were diplomats who accorded her the opportunity to study overseas in France and ultimately in the United States where she obtained her MBA. When time came to decide whether she could stay abroad or return to Africa following her studies, Binta had no doubts where she wanted to be. She was intent on going back to  Africa where she wanted to go and use her skills and global education to make a difference. In deciding to go back to Africa, Binta sought out opportunities with American companies which had operations in Africa.

To her surprise she received a phone call from an official from Ecobank, a regional pan African bank which had just been set up to. The bank had also recently acquired the operations of one of the American companies that she had sought to work for in Africa. Inspired by the pan African vision which the founders of Ecobank had developed, Binta was on course to join Ecobank. She later discovered that Eco bank had been created to not just become a pan African bank, but one which would have enough scale to compete with large international banks. The Eco bank story was compelling to the pan African minded Binta.

In October 2018, Oragroup announced plans to launch its Initial Public Offering on the Regional Securities Exchange (BRVM) in Abidjan. With the IPO the bank seeks to expand its presence in Africa, particular in central Africa as well as to invest in digital banking platforms. At 59.2 billion Francs, the IPO is said to be the largest in the history of the BRVM. Binta is a keen advocate of the power of partnerships, whether it be in the private, public, or even social sectors. She believes that this is what will unlock Africa’s potential. She believes Africans with a passion for creating change should forge partnerships to drive change .