NIGERIA : Cameroonian Joseph Abena Named “Bank Creative Person of the Year 2025”

(LVDE) — Cameroonian talent and expertise are once again making their mark on the continental stage. The renowned Nigerian magazine The Papers, widely recognized for its influence in the business world of Anglophone West Africa, has just unveiled its list of African Personalities of the Year 2025. Among iconic figures such as Aliko Dangote, Seyi Tinubu, and the Director General of the Nigerian Customs Service, one name stands out in particular: that of Cameroonian Joseph Abena, honored as “Bank Creative Person of the Year 2025.”

Creative leadership in the service of performance

Joseph Abena is being recognized for his forward-looking vision and his ability to reinvent the codes of marketing and communication within Africa’s banking sector. Through innovative strategies and strong positioning in key market segments, he helped make UBA Cameroon the most profitable subsidiary among the Group’s 19 African countries (excluding Nigeria) in 2023 and 2024.

This distinction highlights an exceptional career marked not only by tangible results, but also by a strong ability to unite teams, inspire stakeholders, and proudly project the image of Cameroonian excellence.

A standard-bearer for Cameroon and Central Africa

Beyond the numbers, it is a human-centered and strategic leadership that is being celebrated. As Marketing Director and official spokesperson of the UBA Group for the CEMAC sub-region until December 2025, Joseph Abena represented the institution at the highest level—alongside the Group’s top management in Lagos, as well as before senior state authorities in several countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, the DRC, and before the BEAC.

“ Leadership is above all about service : serving one’s teams, one’s clients, and one’s country,” he said following the recognition—a statement that encapsulates the spirit of service that guided his action throughout his regional mandate.

This international recognition crowns a career spanning more than 18 years, marked by strategic mastery of marketing, a strong performance culture, and a clearly articulated pan-African vision. Joseph Abena has established himself as one of the rare professionals capable of combining creativity, executional rigor, and a keen sense of social impact with remarkable consistency.

Trained in some of Cameroon’s best institutions and backed by hands-on experience built across multinationals, para-public institutions, and pan-African structures in the telecommunications and finance sectors, he has helped build strong, engaging brands in complex environments. His time in the banking sector has been particularly decisive: from Ecobank to UBA, he led large-scale campaigns, strengthened brand visibility, and sustainably positioned the bank among the Top 3 most profitable banks in Cameroon.

A source of national pride

This distinction goes far beyond a personal honor: it confirms the rising prominence of Cameroonian talent within Africa’s highest decision-making circles.

In a ranking dominated by figures from one of the continent’s largest economies—Nigeria—the presence of Joseph Abena sends a powerful message : Cameroon belongs at the top.

The Editorial Team