Mr Asante replaces Gbenga Odeyemi who served in this capacity and has moved on to become the Managing Director of FBNBank Sierra Leone.

A statement from the bank and copied to the Ghana News Agency said Mr Asante had become the first Ghanaian to be appointed as the Managing Director, bringing on board a rich banking experience spanning more than 20 years.

It said prior to his appointment, the new MD was the Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking with oversight responsibility for Commercial Banking Business at First National Bank Ghana, a subsidiary of the First Rand Group of South Africa.

He also worked with the Standard Chartered Bank Group serving variously as the Bank's Managing Director and Head of Corporate and Institutional Clients at its Botswana subsidiary, and as Managing Director and Regional Head of Transaction Banking, based in Ghana with additional responsibilities over other West African countries including Cameroun, Cote D'Ivoire, Gambia and Sierra Leone.

The statement said Mr Asante had had stints with Merchant Bank (now Universal Merchant Bank) and Unilever Ghana Limited, all of which gave him a hands-on experience with strategic knowledge in the banking and in business generally. 

"Commenting on his appointment, Mr Asante said 'I am humbled by the confidence reposed in me to head FBNBank Ghana Limited at a time when the organisation has recapitalized its Ghana business, rolled out its digital banking strategy, which aims to leverage new and evolving technologies to facilitate access to everyday financial services for consumers and businesses alike.'"

"My utmost priority is to endear the brand to our stakeholders in the Ghanaian market and use all available means to make the brand a mark of excellence by meeting the needs of our valued customers to the extent that FBNBank becomes the preferred bank," he added.

The statement quoted him saying: "There could not have been a more opportune time for me to assume the reins of leadership and help implement the growth agenda of FBNBank at a time when the banking industry is evolving."

The statement said: "Mr Asante holds an MBA from the University of Ghana Business School, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Agricultural Economics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK who has been trained at very notable organizations and attended programmes like the Rand Merchant Bank Lead Program and INSEAD Singapore among others.

An amateur golfer and scrabble player, Mr Asante is also a humanitarian who is the Past Club President and past Assistant Governor of Rotary International," the statement added.

Commenting on the appointment of the new FBNBank Ghana MD, the Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited & Subsidiaries, Dr Adesola Adeduntan said "Victor's demonstration of excellent technical skills, knowledge, experience and his leadership capabilities contributed in no small measure to his appointment".

The statement said "Dr Adeduntan expressed conviction that Mr Victor Asante was very well placed to provide strategic leadership that the Bank needed to continue on its trajectory of becoming the clear leader and Ghana's bank of first choice."  

FBNBank Ghana Limited has 21 footprints in Ghana with over 400 staff and offers universal banking services to individuals and businesses.