Mba Maureen

Maureen Nneka Mba is a highly accomplished professional and seasoned banker with over 35 years of extensive experience in the financial sector. She currently serves as the Head of the MANSA Digital Initiative at Afreximbank, where she is a key driver in establishing MANSA as the premier African repository platform. Her vision is to onboard over 52 million African SMEs onto MANSA, fostering good governance and eliminating information asymmetry to restore investor confidence in Africa.
Ms. Mba's career at Afreximbank began in 1994 as Private Secretary to the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, where she was a foundational member of the pioneer team. Demonstrating exceptional leadership and expertise, she single-handedly established and nurtured the Bank's Compliance function in 2007, growing it into a full-fledged department. She authored critical operational documents, including the maiden Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Handbook and the Afreximbank Board of Directors Governance Charter. She later became the pioneer Director of Afreximbank's Compliance function.
Her significant contributions include leading key project initiatives such as the automation of compliance processes and the establishment of the Africa-focused MANSA Repository Platform, designed to address challenges impeding trade growth across the continent. She has also spearheaded the annual Afreximbank Customer Due Diligence and Corporate Governance Forum, which attracts over 500 participants annually.
Before joining Afreximbank, Ms. Mba spent five years at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the Governor's Office, where she was a member of the CBN and NDIC teams that collaborated with the IMF on Nigeria's Short and Medium-Term Economic Measures and co-authored the book "Central Bank Since 1982 to 1993."
Ms. Mba holds a doctorate degree in Business Management and International Relations from Trinity International University of Ambassadors USA, an MBA in General Management Emphasis from City University Bellevue, State of Washington, USA (2004), and a B.Sc. (Cum Laude) from the New York Institute of Technology, State of New York, USA (2002). Her extensive professional development includes certifications in Correspondent Banking, Corporate Governance, Corporate Compliance & Ethics, and a Certified Compliance Officer (CCO) Certificate. She has also completed leadership programs at INSEAD and the London Business School (OXFORD).
Her distinguished career includes a congressional commendation from South Carolina, USA, and an African Leadership Excellence award. Recognized for her influence and tacit knowledge, Maureen Nneka Mba was also honored among the "Top 10 Women Leaders in Finance 2022" by Industry Era and "Top 10 World Women Leaders." She was additionally named "Chief MANSA ISO Champion 2024" and a "COMESA - Federation of Women in Business Guest of Honour 2024." Demonstrating her global acumen, she is multilingual, proficient in French, English, basic Arabic, and several home languages.