Spotlight on this professional who is in charge of supervising the compliance of all UBA Group subsidiaries in Central Africa.
He is one of those professionals with a profound conviction that they can deliver notable change and create a positive impact in their communities through their selflessness and people-centred actions. Azah Cletus Ameh has worked and studied in various countries across the globe, interacting with people from different horizons.
This is the experience he readily leverages to fit seamlessly into multicultural working environments. Career-wise, he has worked in several companies and his hard work has earned him countless opportunities.
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Amongst other achievements, he set up the bank’s compliance framework and contributed to create an association of Compliance Officers for the country
Career footprints, driving performance
Azah Cletus Ameh began his career as a Sales Officer at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank in Dubai, where he sold retail banking products for 4 years in the United Arab Emirates. After further studies, he became the pioneer Head of Compliance and Quality at Guaranty Trust Bank Sierra Leone LTD at the age of 27. Amongst other achievements, he set up the bank’s compliance framework and contributed to create an association of Compliance Officers for the country.
In June 2014, he was recruited by Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon SA as Compliance and Financial Crimes Manager. In this role, he was tasked with management of regulatory relations, business ethics, implementation of a strict compliance programme and combating financial crimes across the organisation, aligning with standards at the Group head office in England.
Thanks to his hard work and his unremitting efforts, Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon was the only bank in Cameroon (among fifteen banks ) that was not fined by the Bank of Central African States for violations of Exchange Control Regulations in 2020.
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Throughout the 10 years period he has worked in his field so far, Azah has conducted investigations into several cases of alleged misconduct, suspicious transactions and regulatory breaches
Azah Cletus Ameh belongs to a select group of people who believe that companies can play a distinct role in improving people’s lives and preserving the planet through their commitment to corporate social responsibility, respect for Human Rights and ethical business practices.
Holder of an MBA from Preston University California, and a Masters 1 in Business, Corporate and Financial Law from the University of Douala, this exemplary compliance professional has exceptional communication skills and is described as an excellent negotiator by his peers.
Throughout the 10 years period he has worked in his field so far, Azah has conducted investigations into several cases of alleged misconduct, suspicious transactions and regulatory breaches. He has also handled several instances of regulatory violations.
As an impact-oriented leader, he was the president of the Association of Certified Compliance Professionals in Africa for Cameroon and is currently the Coordinator of the Compliance Officers’ Forum in Cameroon. He is also a member of the Corporate Governance, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of GICAM.
In 2019, he appeared before the Disciplinary Committee of the Banking Commission for Central Africa in Libreville Gabon which was chaired by the Governor of the Central Bank and successfully defended his organization on allegations of regulatory breaches.
Azah Cletus Ameh stands out among compliance professionals owing to his keen intelligence, his team spirit and his open-mindedness. He holds world class professional certifications including Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) from USA, PG Diploma in Governance Risk and Compliance from the International Compliance Association in London.
This young executive aspires to become a world-leading policy maker is equally a Lawyer :he obtained his Bar Final Certificate from the Sierra Leone Law School in 2012 where he graduated as the overall best Bar student and received the Excellence Award from the Chief Justice of the Sierra Leone Supreme Court.
As the Compliance Director of UBA Cameroon with oversight over the other subsidiaries in Central Africa, Azah will have to turbocharge the compliance culture within the franchise throughout CEMAC, ensure that the bank operates in accordance with extant local and international regulations; prevent regulatory breach and sanctions, manage compliance risk and ensure that UBA is not used as a conduit to launder the proceeds of crime or to finance terrorism.