El-Hassana, an Ivorian national, is a product of both the American and British banking systems and boasts over 20 years’ experience working with leading institutions such as Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank in cities including Abidjan, Douala, Yaoundé and Lagos.

When he was promoted to Director, Metals & Mining at Standard Chartered Bank Shanghai in China, he made the deliberate choice to remain in Africa, accepting the position of Managing Director of Banque Atlantique Sénégal. During his tenure, he executed a series of innovative and high-impact transactions, culminating in the largest financial deal ever completed on the Dakar market — the structuring and successful arrangement of a CFA 250 billion (approx. USD 400 million) facility for the Government of Senegal in just 45 days.

In 2015, he decided to leave his position as bank CEO to embark on an entrepreneurial journey and pursue his lifelong dream: the creation of a fully African-owned bank within the UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union) region. Three years later, through determination and vision, MANSA BANK was born — established with a fully paid-up capital of CFA 15,707,650,000, entirely held by UEMOA investors.

El-Hassana holds a postgraduate degree from the University of Oxford in Strategy and Innovation, and a Master’s in Business Management from Paris IX-Dauphine University. He also earned a certificate in “Creating Shared Value” from Harvard Business School, as well as a Master’s in Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of Abidjan.