DRC: Célestin Mukeba’s major achievements in ten years of leadership at EquityBCDC

Célestin Mukeba is leaving EquityBCDC to pursue new socio-economic objectives for the community. The announcement was made by the Equity Group.

After ten years of leadership at the head of this bank, he has many achievements to his credit.

From Procredit Bank to Equity and now the merger that led to EquityBCDC, this expert has multiplied the value of the bank’s balance sheet assets by 30.

Under his reign, he has democratized access to financial services, banking over 1.8 million customers. He increased the bank’s net profitability from 3.1 million to over 100 million USD.

Under his leadership, the bank’s growth has been further consolidated. The bank’s assets are already approaching 5 billion, and financing for the economy is growing.

There has also been strong customer interest. After the merger, the bank went from almost 900,000 bank accounts to around 2.4 million today.

What’s more, it has invested heavily in the social welfare of the Congolese people. And very recently, during a ceremony to present the 2023 annual report, Célestin Mukeba received a trophy for achieving 10 years at the head of this Bank.

“I’ve been running Equity since 2015, and I was the architect of the merger. Long before that, I was CEO of Procredit and then DGA since 2008. I have a total of 16 years in the bank’s senior management. After the merger, the Board of Directors and the Group trusted me to lead this department. For me, it’s a feeling of pride and gratitude, firstly to Almighty God, and secondly to our valued customers”, declared Célestin Mukeba during the ceremony.

An exceptional career

Célestin Mukeba Muntuabu completed his entire university education in Kinshasa, graduating with a master’s degree in business management from the Université Protestante au Congo (UPC). These studies were reinforced by training in banking management techniques, this time in Germany.

In 2022, he graduated from Harvard Business School. As an alumnus of Harvard Business School, where he holds a degree in the Advanced Management Program, Célestin Mukeba was selected as the best student of his AMP201 class, representing the cohort of 147 participants from 43 countries worldwide.

He has a wealth of experience in the banking sector, and has held various positions of great responsibility, notably with Procredit Bank Congo, including that of Deputy General Manager in 2008.
That was on November 4, 2008, the day he was appointed Managing Director of ProCredit Bank.

Raised to the rank of Managing Director in 2014, he is leading the Holding’s search for shareholders likely to continue the bank’s activities in Congo, following its decision to withdraw from Africa.

The process led to its takeover and integration into the Equity Group, a pan-African bank based in Kenya and present in seven countries.

Logically, Célestin Mukeba retained his position after the takeover.

A few years later, he successfully completed the merger between Equity and Banque Commerciale du Congo, then a Belgian bank. In addition to the complexities of managing teams with very different corporate cultures, there was the more prosaic need to migrate the IT system.

He also headed the UN Global Compact Network RDC. He is married with two sons and a daughter.

On his X page, he announced his departure from this major banking institution to pursue new objectives with socio-economic impact for the community. He says he has turned an important page in his professional career.

Nadine FULA