Ecobank Kenya has today kicked off a Graduate Trainee and management programme which will see the institution recruit over 50 graduates from Kenyan universities for a 12 month management training drill.

The development will eventually be rolled out in the East African Region in a bid to enhance human resource development as well as stay ahead of the curve of the dynamic banking sector. The success of any organization is primarily hinged on recruiting, developing, managing the best human capital and formulating an incentive mechanism for retention and career progression.

"Our strategic goal is to equip graduates with the requisite competencies required to excel in a highly competitive financial services sector and effectively balance between efficiency and stability," said Ehouman Kassi, Ecobank Kenya Managing Director.

The bank also aims at prizing youthful passionate and talented professionals with the skills, experience and mind-sets to operate across different markets and cultures within and beyond the African continent.

Ecobank has been on an expansion streak and has grown its branch network to 29 with the optimum operating capacity of 40 to 50 branches countrywide. The bank is currently building its capacity in a rapidly changing era where banking services are greatly influenced by internet and mobile banking.

According to Mr Kassi, the 2008 global financial crisis was partly due to lax regulatory structures coupled with the ever changing macroeconomic environment and a complex financial and economic global landscape, banks also needed to be cautious of their structures, management and staffing.

"Efforts to grow banking institutions and strengthen their stability must be backed by effective institutional governance oversight- a role which quality of human resource has direct contribution," said Mr Kassi.