The official Mokobe@20 Mascot, a laser cut out replica of the event logo, made a stop at the Ecobank Headquarters, off the Independence Avenue, Accra on Tuesday August 22, 2023. Ghanaian gospel musician and Pastor, Nii Okai, who recently launched his Moko Be @20 Celebration Concert had stopped over to pay a courtesy call on Dr Edward Botchway, Executive Director and Head of Consumer Banking for Ecobank Ghana and Anglophone West Africa.
Nii Okai and his team were warmly received by Dr. Botchway and Dr. Daniel Kasser Tee, of the Marketing and Corporate Communications department.
During the meeting, Nii Okai briefly recounted the journey of his classic debut album, Moko Be, touching on his decision 13 years ago to resign from the banking industry to focus on Mission, and his ministry’s decision to set up Nii Okai’s Saving Hearts Foundation, which has, so far, funded about 21 surgeries for children with hole-in-heart conditions in Ghana.
“We have been able to provide monetary support for 21 surgeries in total with a 100% success rate to the glory of God. As part of our Mokobe@20 celebrations, we look forward to carrying out 20 more surgeries in partnership with the University of Ghana Medical Centre, as well as, mission teams from the Boston Children’s Hospital Heart Center and Kinderherzen from Germany.” Nii commented.
He added that hole-in-heart conditions would not be fatal if only the money to fund the surgeries was readily available.
The Ecobank Team was delighted to hear about the 100% success rate for the surgeries and indicated their readiness to explore areas of support in that regard. They commended Nii Okai for his contribution to Mother Ghana and encouraged him to keep at it inspite of the inherent challenges.
On his part, Dr Botchway said: “As a bank, we not only make money for our shareholders, but also actively give back to society by getting involved and supporting deprived individuals and groups in the communities we serve. There are diverse causes that we support throughout the year, and particularly on Ecobank Day, a day set aside by the Ecobank group to allow all 33 affiliate countries to engage in charitable causes to reward society for its eternal love and kindness. Our focus areas are education, health, financial inclusion, and environmental sustainability. In the recent past, the group has been involved in promoting mass awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCDs) under an umbrella theme Preventing NCDs in African Communities.” He further indicated that Ecobank has also been supporting the Children’s Heart Foundation by paying the medical bills of 2 children with hole-in-heart conditions annually, bringing the total to 25 children as at now.
Nii Okai then officially invited the Ecobank Team to the Moko Be @20 Celebration Concert slated for September 17, 2023, at the ICGC Zoe Temple, Tema and they indicated their willingness to be part of the celebration.
The concert has on bill Joe Mettle, Koda, Eugene Zuta, MOGmusic, Kofi Karikari, Naa Mercy, David Osabutey, Lordina the Soprano and many more, most of whom have served with Nii Okai since the release of his debut album.
The tickets for the celebration concert include ghs70 (single), ghs120 (double), ghs200 (VIP Heartsavers), and ghs25 / usd5 (online viewing). The ticket shortcode is 887273# and the ticket hotline is 0246156915.
The mascot for the celebration was then made available for staff of the bank to take pictures with, while interacting with Nii Okai.