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Business News of Monday, 10 July 2023

Source: thenationonlineng.net

Access Bank gets leadership awards on women empowerment

Access Bank Access Bank

Access Bank Plc has been honoured for its many initiatives aimed at providing finance and other supports to female-owned businesses.

The bank won Company Leadership in Gender Diversity Award; Family-Friendly Workplace Excellence Award, and Gender Equality Champion Award at the Gender Leader Awards (GLA) in Lagos,.

The bank also received a special recognition for its efforts in advancing women empowerment and leadership.

GLA, organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, aimed at promoting actions, enhancing gender equality and mainstreaming increased opportunities for women in leadership, employment, and entrepreneurship in the private sector.

“We are grateful for this recognition and dedicate the award to our customers – particularly the women – who rely on us to provide the right support to scale their businesses and improve their quality of life through initiatives that go beyond banking.

“As we champion gender equality through Nigeria2Equal, we recognise other private sector organisations that have demonstrated exceptional performance in advancing gender-focused initiatives. Indeed, these awards speak volumes about the accomplishments of our partnership with IFC, and celebrate the remarkable strides NGX listed companies have made towards realizing a gender-equal society. Access Bank will continue to champion this agenda through the W Initiative with a view to ensure our collective visions are realized,” Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, said.

Being implemented under the Nigeria2Equal (N2E) programme, the GLA is also designed to recognise and celebrate private sector companies leading the way in gender equality performance.

IFC Senior Country Manager for Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Kalim Shah said the awards highlighted the inspiring commitment of chief executives and other business leaders to building a more inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

“IFC is proud to partner with NGX on the Nigeria2Equal programme and on this important award, which underscores IFC’s ongoing commitment to equal opportunities for both men and women in Nigeria’s private sector,” Shah said.

Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange (NGX), Temi Popoola, said the awards showed collective commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive and equitable private sector ecosystem in Nigeria.

Over the years, Access Bank has provided sustainable tools for women to access true financial inclusion and growth. In 2022, the lender disbursed N40.5 billion to over 64,845 women SMEs. Group Head of Women Banking at Access Bank Plc, Abiodun Olubitan, recently confirmed the bank will look to scale this figure to about N100 billion by the end of 2023.