Biography
Mr. Gbekor joined the Bank of Ghana in 2010 as an examiner in the Banking Supervision Department (BSD). In 2013, the department was split to set up the Other Financial Institutions Department (OFISD) with the objective of focusing on the emerging Microfinance Institutions and Rural Banks. Mr. Gbekor was transferred to the department, where he focused on examining Rural Banks and Microfinance Institutions. Mr. Gbekor was subsequently transferred back to BSD in 2018, where he worked with the Examinations Office and assisted in overseeing the mergers of some banks aimed at meeting the new minimum paid-up capital requirements. Following the banking clean-up exercise, he was moved to the Quality Assurance Office to assist in enhancing the quality and accountability of the examination processes and function, as lessons learned from the banking clean-up exercise. He was later transferred to the Policy and Research Office in 2020. Following his transfer to the Policy and Research, Mr. Gbekor has contributed to the implementation of the Basel II/ III Capital Framework and development of other directives. These include the Capital Requirements Directive, Corporate Governance Directive, Mergers and Acquisitions Directive, Voluntary Winding-Up Directive, Risk Management Directive, Outsourcing Directive, Climate-related Financial Risk Directive, and Notice on Disqualification of Significant Shareholders, Directors and Key Management Personnel. In 2025, Mr. Gbekor assumed the role of Head of the Policy and Research Office. Under his leadership, the following Directives and Guidelines have been issued: Notice on Measures to Reduce High Non-Performing Loans (which has instituted an NPL ratio limit of 10% and sanctions for Wilful Defaulters), Bancassurance Directive, Large Exposures Directive, and Management and Measurement of Credit Concentration Directive. Furthermore, in 2026, six (6) Directives were published as Exposure Draft to solicit comments from the industry. These include: Liquidity Risk Management; Liquidity Monitoring Tools; Interest Rate Risk in the Banking Book; Stress Testing; Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process; and Recovery Planning. Under his exceptional leadership, three additional directives are in the final stages of being published, namely the Liquidity Coverage Ratio, Management and Prudential Treatment of Sovereign Exposures, as well as Credit Risk Management Directives. In addition to serving as the Head of Office, he undertakes external assignments. He represents the Bank of Ghana on the Basel Consultative Group (BCG) and was instrumental in the publication of the Principles of Proportionality by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) and the Revised Basel Core Principles. He has also contributed to several BCBS policy papers through the BCG. He is also a member of various Expert Committees for the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA) and the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) in the development of the Model Banking Act and Basel II/ III Implementation.