The Managing Director of the National Investment Bank PLC, Doli-Wura Dr Zakaria Awushi Abdul-Malik Seidu, has been conferred Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the year in Finance at the Ghana CEOs Awards held in Accra over the weekend.He was also adjudged the CEO of the year in Transformational Leader­ship.The CEOs Award is an annual awards scheme designed to identify and publicly recognise the most out­standing Chief Executives in corpo­rate Ghana across a wide spectrum of sectors.Eligible award winners include CEOs of both private and public sec­tor corporations and institutions.Dr Doli-Wura Zakaria, is a distin­guished national and global icon with over two decades of experience in governance, public financial manage­ment, revenue mobilisation for local and national governments as well as an astute entrepreneurship.With a wealth of knowledge and experience, he stands out as a trail­blazer in leadership, conflict resolu­tion, mediation, audit, monitoring and decentralization.

He possesses experiences in research, training and capacity building, networking, lobbying, resource mobilisation, and inter-faith peace building.He is the current chairperson of the African Union Interfaith Dialogue Fo­rum (AU-IFDF) Steering Committee.As an epitome of knowledge and wisdom, he strives to make a world of difference wherever he finds himself.It is therefore, not surprising that in less than six months he worked with the support of government, the board, management and staff to turn around the fortunes of the National Investment Bank (NIB) PLC from a financially distressed bank of over seven years.NIB PLC has been fully recapital­ised and deposit mobilisation is an all-time high of over GH¢ 7 billion.The bank has published its half year 2025 financial statements for the first time in several years; with staff morale high following reforms that has seen salary increment and a gradual rein­statement of working conditions.The awards are a testament to his vast experience, a proven track-record and ability to transform financial systems, enhance revenue streams, and contribute to national development through innovative strategies and effective implementation.Dr Doliwura Zakaria is courageous and forthright and his spectacular leadership skills as a results-oriented person and team player is example personified.The award is an impetus and a catalyst to further bolster his initia­tive drives that align with Ghana's economic growth objectives and to position the Bank as a leader in the development finance space.The theme of the award, "Mo­bilising domestic and international tourists and investors through CEOs" could not have been chosen at a better time than now as government combs nooks and crannies to mobilise re­sources for national development. BY TIMES REPORTER