Letshego Africa taps into Ghana’s talent pool with appointment of Mariam Kaleem Agyeman-Buahin

Letshego Group, the 22 year strong pan-African inclusive finance institution, believe that digitisation is driving the success of its Transformation Strategy, extending the reach of its financial solutions to the masses and middle-income individuals as well as Micro and Small Entrepreneurs (MSEs).

To deliver its 5-year targets, the multinational is recruiting digital skills from across the continent, with the most recent addition being Ghana’s very own, Mariam Kaleem Agyeman-Buahin.

Mariam has been appointed as Letshego Group’s Head of Digital Marketing and will be responsible for crafting, ideating and executing the marketing strategy for Letshego’s LetsGo digital platform, set to catapult the Group towards its vision to become a world-class retail financial institution and improving the lives of its customers across sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to Letshego, Mariam was employed by Standard Chartered Ghana. She joined the international banking group in September 2016 as Country Manager for Brand, Marketing and Sponsorship, before being promoted to her latest role in the Retail Banking division as Head of Digital Banking and Financial Inclusion and Corporate Partnerships. Prior to banking, Mariam made her creative mark in the telecom’s sector as Vodafone Ghana’s Head of Brand Engagement and Sponsorship. As a fireball marketer, Mariam has developed and implemented novel marketing concepts through digital and experiential channels to connect with diverse customer segments.

Mariam’s core strengths are Brand Management, Digital & Experiential Marketing, Marketing Communication and Concept Development.

“We are delighted to have Mariam on board, and already inspired by her passion and energy to ignite the hearts and minds of customers and communities with Letshego’s digital offering. With its dynamic economic growth trajectory, and rapid in-roads into global digital trends, Ghana is not only an important market in Letshego’s regional footprint but also a valued source of talent for the Letshego Group at large,” commented Chipiliro Katundu, Letshego’s Group Chief of Products.

Letshego Ghana, a subsidiary of Letshego Group, has demonstrated its strategic and potential value to the Group with a cumulative aggregated growth of 600% over the last 5 years, more than tripling its proportion of profit before tax in the same period.

Andrew Fening Okai, Letshego’s Group Chief Executive, added, “Mariam’s unique talents have been evident throughout her career, and she is already adding value since joining Letshego. She joins us at an incredibly pivotal phase for the Group and we are pleased to welcome her to our Letshego family.”

The Letshego Group is a truly African multinational, first opening its doors in Botswana more than 21 years ago by offering loans to government employees. Today the Group has over 3,000 employees comprising more than 21 nationalities and supports public and private sector individual customers, as well as micro and small entrepreneurs. Letshego has operations in 11 sub-Saharan African markets, including Ghana.

Letshego Holdings Limited (the group holding company) is listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange, with subsequent listings including a subsidiary listing on the Namibian stock exchange, and bond listings on both the Ghana and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges. Despite economic challenges posed by the pandemic during the course of 2020, the Letshego Group posted over GHS 580million (USD 100million) in profit before tax for the 2020 financial year, growing net assets at 12% year on year.

Letshego in Ghana

In Ghana, Letshego employs over 500 local nationals, with the business led by seasoned Ghanaian banker, Arnold Parker, Country CEO of Letshego Ghana.

Letshego expanded into Ghana in 2017 through the acquisition of ‘afb Ghana’. Since the acquisition and under Arnold’s leadership, Letshego has diversified the entity’s product portfolio with the addition of MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprise) loans, retail and corporate deposits, as well as opening two new outlets to compliment the brand’s national, omnichannel network.

Speaking on the value of Ghana in Letshego’s regional footprint, Arnold Parker noted that Ghana is proving to be a valued talent pool for regional companies across diverse sectors. He added that Letshego is one of many regional entities that invest and support Ghana’s growth potential while gaining benefit from the passion and expertise of its people. The Ghana team remain proud to be a part of a Group that is committed to supporting inclusive finance initiatives, supporting sustainable business and growth of communities in Ghana, and across our continent.

Letshego Ghana posted record national performance for 2020, more than doubling its profit before tax year on year to GHS47million (USD 8.1million).