The Commercial and Credit Manager of the Afriland First Bank, Crown Hill, Youssouf Barry, on Friday, January 22, 2021 received a Certificate of Honor from the Hot Pepper as the institution’s Banker of the Year 2020. The honor was in recognition of Barry’s outstanding performance and commitment in strengthening the banking industry during the year under review.
The Certificate of Honor was presented by the Chairman of the Award Committee, Georgiana Mitchell-Follay, who used the occasion to remind the honoree that “your contribution to strengthening the private sector of Liberia has not gone unnoticed; therefore, bear in mind that, whatever you do, people are watching. Keep up the good work and never settle for anything less. Congratulations.”
Receiving the certificate, Barry thanked the Hot Pepper family for the recognition and appreciated them for giving him his flowers while he is alive. “Thank you very much, Hot Pepper family. With gratitude, I’m deeply honored and extremely happy for being selected for this award. As a person who has been working in the banking sector for almost ten years, there is no better time than now. I believe this is a call to duty and a call for me to do more. And for that, I’m grateful.
“Allow me to congratulate my colleagues in the banking sector and others who have been recognized and honored from other sectors for their achievements in their various walks of life. Allow me to also acknowledge the work of the Hot Pepper family and for organizing the initiative to recognize the work of people as a way of motivating them to do more,” Barry noted.
Earlier, the Senior Reporter of Hot Pepper, Saye Messah, detailed the background of the award and how Barry emerged victor. Messah noted that a number of professional bankers were nominated for the award. After a thorough review of their activities for the year under review, Barry was found out to be best suited for the title, as he had earlier won the Nigerian Institute of Credit Administration’s award for his unrivalled contribution to the banking industry during the year under review.
The name Youssouf Barry does not come with much familiarity but with much underground works, dedication, commitment and achievements in 2020. As a corporate banker, Barry has explored many avenues of opportunities for the banking sector of Liberia and provided empowerment and education opportunities for many youths.
Barry is a certified chartered international banker and financial analyst, and a member of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA), Nigeria, and a Fellow of the Global Academy of Finance and Management (GAFM), USA. He is the Head of Commercial and Credit Banking at Afriland First Bank, Crown Hill, Monrovia.
About two weeks ago, Barry was awarded the Prestigious Credit Manager Award by the Institute of Credit Administration, based in Nigeria. According to the institute, Barry’s nomination was based on his commitment in strengthening the banking industry. He has set the record of being the first Liberian to have ever won the award.
The ICA only recognizes top-level corporate chieftain who, by virtue of their position, have encouraged, approved, supported and supervised the effective and efficient use of credit to expand and grow businesses through their out-going year; therefore, winning the ICA awards proves beyond all doubts that Youssouf Barry has served well among peers not only in Liberia but in the West African sub-region.
Beyond his banking services, Barry serves as Board Chairman of the Atlantic Vocational Training Institute (AVTI) and Co-Chairman on the Board of the Federation of Fula Students of Liberia (FFUSOL), both educational institutions catering to the knowledge-needs of the Liberian youth.
2020 has been a prosperous year for the Credit Manager and, in addition to starting his new year with a lot of energy to do more, we at Hot Pepper congratulate him for being our Banker of the Year 2020.