Former Stanbic Bank Uganda Chief Executive Officer Anne Juuko has taken over as the new Director General of the East African Development Bank (EADB).
Juuko officially assumed the position on 2 October 2026 after her appointment was approved by the bank’s Governing Council.
Her appointment ends an interim leadership period at the regional development bank following the retirement of former Director General Vivienne Yeda in December 2024. Senior Director for Finance and Treasury Benard P. Mono had been serving as Acting Director General.
The leadership transition was formalised in Kampala during a meeting of the EADB Governing Council chaired by Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Yusuf Murangwa.
Juuko joins EADB with more than 20 years of experience in banking, financial markets and executive management across East and Southern Africa.
She previously led Stanbic Bank Uganda as Managing Director and CEO from March 2020 to March 2024, becoming the first woman to head the bank.
Juuko took charge of Stanbic at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the bank during a period of economic disruption. During her tenure, its profit after tax increased from Shs242 billion in 2020 to Shs365 billion in 2022.
In 2024, she moved to Standard Bank Group’s regional operations, where she became Regional Head of Global Markets for Eastern Africa before taking up her new role at EADB.
During her time at Stanbic, Juuko also focused on expanding access to finance for underserved communities.
In 2021, the bank introduced a financing and capacity-building programme for Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (Saccos). The initiative now supports more than 6,000 groups with about 1.8 million members and deposits exceeding Shs200 billion.
The programme has provided more than Shs80 billion in low-interest loans to the groups, with the bank saying the initiative has indirectly benefited nearly 10 million Ugandans. Stanbic also played a role in the implementation of the government’s Parish Development Model.
Juuko also promoted financing for women-owned businesses through Stanbic4Her, launched in partnership with the International Finance Corporation in 2022.
The programme has enrolled about 19,000 women entrepreneurs, including 14,000 first-time Stanbic customers, and facilitated more than Shs60 billion in financing to women-owned businesses at an interest rate of 15.5%. More than 54,000 women have also received financial literacy training through the programme.
At EADB, Juuko will lead a regional financial institution whose mandate includes supporting economic development and investment across East Africa.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Planning from Heriot-Watt Business School in Edinburgh, Scotland.
