Absa Group has once again demonstrated the strength of its people-focused strategy after being recognised as a Top Employer for 2026, scoring well above the global benchmark set by the Top Employers Institute.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that the pan-African banking group has achieved the prestigious certification, underscoring its consistency in delivering world-class human capital practices across its operations.

The recognition follows an independent and rigorous assessment of Absa’s people policies and practices across six African markets, namely Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, and Mauritius. Absa’s overall group score of 93.66 percent represents a notable improvement from its 2025 performance of 90.15 percent and stands significantly higher than the global benchmark of 85.9 percent. All participating markets achieved scores above 87 percent, highlighting a strong and uniform application of people-centred policies across the Group.

Ghana Emerges as a Standout Performer

Among the six markets assessed, Absa Ghana recorded the highest overall score of 97.38 percent, earning it the number one Top Employer ranking in the Ghanaian market. This achievement reflects the bank’s sustained investment in leadership capability, workplace culture, and employee engagement.

Charles Russon, Group Executive for Africa Regions at Absa, expressed pride in the growing number of markets achieving certification. He noted that the recognition is a strong endorsement of Absa’s people-first strategy and its commitment to building inclusive, high-performing workplaces. He added that Absa Ghana’s top ranking illustrates the depth of leadership and the strength of culture that the Group continues to nurture across the region.

William Easmon, Human Capital Director for Absa Bank Ghana, described the recognition as a reflection of trust and fairness within the organisation. According to him, the ranking affirms the clarity and transparency employees experience daily and reinforces Absa Ghana’s commitment to creating a respectful and equitable workplace that prioritises employee wellbeing and growth.

Strong Gains Across African Markets

Beyond Ghana’s performance, Absa recorded meaningful year-on-year improvements across several other markets. Kenya and South Africa both improved their scores by 4.94 percentage points, while Absa Bank Zambia recorded an increase of more than four percentage points. Botswana delivered the largest improvement, gaining 5.53 percentage points compared to the previous year.

These gains highlight Absa’s deliberate and data-driven approach to understanding the employee experience and addressing areas that matter most across the employee lifecycle. By strengthening how it listens to its people and applying robust analytics and benchmarking tools, the Group has been able to drive targeted interventions that enhance engagement, trust, and performance.

Excellence in Leadership, Ethics, and Work Environment

A notable highlight of the 2026 assessment was Absa’s achievement of full scores of 100 percent in Business Strategy, Leadership, and Performance. This reflects a high level of alignment between strategic intent, leadership execution, and organisational outcomes. It also demonstrates Absa’s ability to translate strategy into everyday leadership practices that drive measurable results.

The Group also recorded strong performance in Ethics and Integrity, scoring 99.49 percent. This result outperformed both the global and industry benchmarks, reinforcing Absa’s emphasis on transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct. The Work Environment score rose to 98.41 percent, positioning Absa more than 10 percent above the global benchmark and nearly eight percent above the industry benchmark.

These results point to a workplace culture that supports excellence while fostering inclusion, trust, and psychological safety.

People Practices Drive Measurable Progress

Significant year-on-year improvements were recorded in several critical areas, including offboarding, diversity, equity and inclusion, rewards and recognition, sustainability, and employer branding. These gains reflect Absa’s holistic approach to human capital management, ensuring that employees feel supported from entry through to exit, while also strengthening long-term retention and engagement.

Jeanett Modise, Absa Group Chief Human Capital Officer, emphasised that the changing nature of work requires organisations to be clear about the value they offer employees. She explained that Absa has sharpened how it defines and communicates its employee value proposition to reflect how people want to work, grow, and build meaningful careers. According to her, the continued Top Employer recognition provides independent validation that this approach is resonating with employees across markets.

Absa’s sustained performance above the global benchmark has been underpinned by ongoing investment in leadership development, refreshed frameworks, and coaching approaches that reinforce consistency in how strategy is led and delivered. The Group has also advanced its work in inclusion, skills development, and data-driven retention to ensure critical capabilities are built and sustained over time.