Data Whisperer: Meet Adriana Dugbartey, the Analyst Helping a Traditional Bank Go Digital

When people discuss the future of banking in Africa, names like Flutterwave, Chipper Cash, and Paystack often dominate the conversation. But within the walls of one of Ghana’s oldest banks, a quieter force is at work—bridging the divide between traditional finance and modern digital ecosystems. Her name is Adriana Dugbartey, and she spearheaded a grassroots data revolution at Zenith Bank Ghana.

Zenith Bank, like many legacy institutions, has long relied on human intuition and experience to drive its digital initiatives. That changed when Adriana joined the marketing analytics team. Faced with stagnating digital app usage and increasing customer attrition, Adriana initiated an investigation using funnel analysis and user segmentation to identify areas for improvement.

By tracking onboarding behavior on mobile and web platforms, she discovered high abandonment rates at key friction points—complicated USSD menus, weak authentication flows, and a lack of in-app guidance.

"Her insights changed our whole onboarding flow," said Kwesi Tetteh, Head of Digital Products. "We redesigned the app, and our digital adoption jumped 19% in just one quarter."

But Adriana didn’t stop there. She introduced the concept of cohort analysis to Zenith’s digital team, tracking groups of users over time to identify drop-off points and long-term engagement trends. Before this, marketing relied on aggregate figures that often masked churn issues or falsely indicated success.

Her analysis revealed that users who completed the onboarding process between 6:00 and 9:00 am were more likely to remain active. This led to the development of new email campaign strategies and timing-based push notifications, which enhanced early-stage engagement.

"She showed us the power of looking at the journey, not just the numbers," said Data Lead Nana Mensah. "That shift in perspective changed how we design every feature."

One of Adriana’s hallmark achievements was democratizing access to insights. She built a suite of dashboards in Power BI for non-technical stakeholders, allowing department heads in operations, compliance, and sales to access real-time data insights.

"Before Adriana, data lived in silos," said Emmanuel Osei, Head of Compliance. "Now, every manager understands the story the numbers are telling."

She also introduced documentation protocols and mini-training sessions to improve data literacy across teams. Her work not only built tools, but also built a culture.

Adriana later collaborated with the digital transformation office to integrate her dashboards with key performance indicators (KPIs) on financial inclusion, ensuring the bank was effectively reaching underserved populations through mobile-first offerings.

Adriana Dugbartey may not have a C-level title, but her fingerprints are on every significant digital milestone at Zenith Ghana. She’s proof that transformation doesn’t always come from disruption; sometimes, it’s engineered from within. As the banking sector continues to digitize, analysts like Adriana are ensuring that the transition is not only seamless but also intelligent, strategic, and human-centered.