Category: Business

First Bank of Nigeria Limited is taking steps to ensure that women and women-led businesses are empowered. The bank has, through its FirstGem; FirstMonie and First Women Network empowered and brought several unbanked women into the financial system. This it proved during this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

Empowering women through improved access to finance and social support are crucial in achieving the desired growth for the economy. This is the belief of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, even as it maintained that investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.

It acknowledges the enormous contributions made by women, whether as business women, farmers, entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home.

This it demonstrated during this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD), a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements – from the political to the social. It is also a day that stakeholders in Nigeria and in the Diaspora canvassed gender equality in society and workplace.

The event brings together governments, women’s organisations, corporations and charities for purposes of development and inclusion.

According to the World Bank, women empowerment is the process that creates power in individuals over their own lives, society and in their communities.

Women’s empowerment is all about equipping and allowing them to make life-determining decisions through the different problems in society.

Also, empowering women by granting them access to vast opportunities and information will not only lead to personal development for them but also the development of the communities and societies they operate in.

First Bank is, therefore, supporting women’s economic empowerment through FirstGem, which gives them economic voice and bring many unbanked women to the financial system.

The bank has advanced N58 billion loans to over 81,000 women-led businesses and interests. Besides, 44,356 women (corporate and individual, including members of staff of the bank) currently own and operate the FirstGem account with a seating balance of N2.4 billion.

Also, the Agent Banking platform – which the bank leads in the industry – has promoted not just the financial inclusion of women but also independence as there are many women among its Agent Banking. Data showed that there are 38,185 male banking agents, and 11,762 female banking agents.

First Bank Managing Director/CEO Adesola Kazeem Adeduntan, said women-led businesses constitute a large part of the banks’ balance sheets and stream of income, even as he added that the bank will continue to give priority to issues that affect women.

He said the bank is also in tune with the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) which requires that companies promote gender equality in workplace.

To support the NSBP project and give women voice in the workplace, FirstBank boss said women remain some of the best workforces and always make great impact in establishments.

FirstBank believes that women needed to be economically empowered. Unless social concerns such as gender disparity and women economic empowerment are addressed, economic and environmental goals and overall sustainable development will be difficult to achieve.

Adeduntan said the introduction of FirstGem, a female-focused product by the bank has contributed to the development of the Nigerian economy.

Speaking at the FirstGem third anniversary conference held in Lagos, the bank chief said he was delighted that FirstGem is promoting savings culture, financial literacy, loan management, wealth creation and healthy lifestyle for women.

Adeduntan said the product has a wide array of advisory, health and current awareness services for the discerning woman.

He said: “On October 28, 2016 we launched this women-centric account, designed specifically to meet the financial needs of both corporate and entrepreneurial women. This product, apart from being an account dedicated solely to women, is lifestyle-enhancing.

“It provides a total lifestyle support for discerning women to enable them to meet their economic needs and aspirations. It goes without saying that economic stability does impact overall stability of individuals, institutions, communities and nations.

“With FirstGem, therefore, our long-term focus is on national economic development. I believe that with the indices we have so far, FirstGem is on the right performance track.”

In sports, the Female Basketball team, Elephant Girls, have, over the years, dominated the Women Basketball League of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, representing Nigeria in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Africa Women’s Champions.

According to FirstBank, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) involves meeting the needs of our stakeholders now and in the future. Our CR&S approach is three-pronged: citizenship, stakeholder management and impact management.

“Citizenship and stakeholder management involves putting into consideration the needs of stakeholders in making decisions, while impact management is basically about minimising our negative impacts and increasing our positive impacts on society.

“FirstBank prides itself in being an equal opportunity employer and have integrated diversity and inclusion policies and awareness into its practices.

The bank said its efforts at engendering diversity in the workplace include having in place a policy that encourages inclusion. The group’s diversity and inclusion objective is to be a recognised industry leader in workforce diversity and leverage diversity for the growth of the group and the success of the customers and communities we serve. We have a male: female ratio of 61:39 across the workforce,” he said.

Also, the bank’s Board and Senior Management Teams have consistently supported women development by deliberately designing a dedicated platform called FirstGem to drive financial inclusion and all-round development of women.

The bank’s CR&S approach is designed to deliver value in a structured way in the areas of education, health and welfare; financial inclusion; responsible lending and procurement.

Inclusivity ties in with our people empowerment goal which includes improving the lives of our stakeholders through the bank’s agenda of nation-building by empowering women and girls to access the opportunities and societal benefits to grow and advance societal and economic benefits. The bank is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion through our products, services and programmes.

Advancing the FirstGem vision

FirstBank explained that in recognition of the impact of women’s contribution to economic development, the bank is steadily advancing the vision of FirstGem through active and value-adding participation in many women empowerment programmes, international conferences, seminars, workshops, and roadshows across different cities and states of Nigeria over the past couple of years.

It revealed that at the forefront of these engagements is the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Bank who happens to be a female.

It said the bank is committed to maintaining a positive work environment and to conducting business in a positive, professional manner by consistently ensuring equal employment opportunity.

FirstBank Women Network is aimed at addressing the gender gap at the senior levels and taps the opportunities presented by enabling our women to contribute even more if given the necessary strategic support and an enabling environment. This includes providing a platform that enables women to become more engaged in their workplace, set and achieve goals, have greater influence in their lives and achieve more of their potential.

The initiative was launched with the International Women’s day (IWD) celebration that held on March 8, 2018 with the theme #PressforProgress.

Also, the First Women Network is built around six pillars which are influence career pipeline, networking opportunities, grooming, etiquette and poise, mentoring, coaching and sponsorship opportunities, counselling, support and welfare, financial planning and empowerment.

Coaching/mentoring scheme

FirstBank has a coaching and mentoring scheme dedicated to female members of staff in the bank. This is to enable older female members of staff to handhold and coach the younger ones with reference to their experience as they climbed the career ladder.

For her, the types and number of products and services available to women include the facilities and polices provided to support gender diversity in the work place, among others.

Also, 2,708 female employees have special opportunities as nursing mothers: The Bank recognises that pregnancy and childbirth may take its toll on the women.

In addition to the three months’ maternity leave with pay, our practice allows for nursing mothers to resume two hours later than the normal resumption period, or close two hours earlier than the normal closing hours. This is applicable for the first three months after resumption from maternity.

All these have made the bank winner of the Nigeria Sustainable Banking Awards on Women Empowerment Category, which is driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria, among other laurels.

I travel to meet Dr Adesola Adeduntan in Edinburgh, where he has been invited to give a keynote address at the Edinburgh School of Business about the role of financial institutions in driving financial inclusion. Fittingly, as you land in Edinburgh, you are greeted by billboards from different investment funds advertising their credentials in responsible and sustainable investment and how environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations underpin their activities.

With economists and politicians questioning capitalism and the Western liberal model, today the emphasis is very much on a stakeholder-based approach, whereby growth and prosperity is more equally attributed and takes into consideration the needs of the wider community. Sustainable investment has become de rigueur among corporate jargon.

Dr Adesola Kazeem Adeduntan, CEO of First Bank of Nigeria, is a veteran in the Nigerian banking and corporate world. His overriding message, clearly expressed throughout his interview responses, and also at the various talks he gave during the day (at the Business School and at a law firm), is on the importance of doing good if you’re to do well – financially – in Nigeria and indeed, Africa.

A telling sign

FirstBank is actually the oldest bank in Africa. It was established in Lagos in 1894 as the Bank of British West Africa. Last year it celebrated its 125th anniversary. It is also the biggest bank in Nigeria in terms of assets and branch network.

For Adeduntan, a veterinary doctor by training, it becomes clear, once we have settled down for our discussion, that the institution’s longevity is a telling sign: it not only proves the bank’s resilience, it also shows that it has the right structures in terms of governance and the right business model, with the country’s development at its core. The theme of the anniversary celebrations was about how the bank has been woven into the fabric of Nigerian society.

The clear message to the industry is that while it is possible to make a quick buck, you can only enjoy the sort of longevity it has if you conduct your business with the interests of the country at heart.

Nonetheless, it’s apparent Adeduntan does not want to dwell too long on past glories. Using the analogy of a car, he says that there is a reason why the windshield is large whilst the rear-view mirror is small.

 

The challenge of fintech

As in most sectors, traditional ways of doing business have been coming under increasing disruption from ever-evolving technology. The banking industry is no exception and seems to be under siege from an expanding fintech onslaught.

I ask him if he is worried that non-financial companies will be entering the banking sector, especially given the recent change in regulation by the Central Bank that allows non-traditional finance institutions, namely mobile operators, to enter the fray.

He says he is not worried as his bank has one of the best defined strategies when it comes to financial inclusion and that it has the largest digital banking network in Nigeria.

Much of this has been developed through the bank’s FirstMonie Agents system: 46,000 agents represent the bank across the country. Currently, 9m customers transact on their USSD platform (by mobile phone, both smart and analogue) in addition to 3m customers transacting on the FirstMobile platform.

The agent network, the biggest of its kind in the country, enables the bank to provide services to the most remote rural communities; and because it doesn’t need to have an extensive branch network, it means that these services can be supplied at a fraction of the cost of a ‘legacy’ banking model.

Financial deepening

Adeduntan prefers to use the phrase ‘financial deepening’ when talking about the unbanked. Financial inclusion has increased from the low 20s to approximately 40% in Nigeria over the past seven years and is expected to double to the mid-80s within the next five years.

He says ‘financial deepening’ occurs when financial inclusion starts playing an important role in economic development. It’s about layering additional products on the current agency banking network – services such as micro-credit, micro-insurance and micro-pension.

The aim is to provide value-added services whilst at the same time increasing the savings rate; this aspect, which is critical in driving investment rates, has been one factor behind Asia’s rapid growth.

It is in this area, he says, that the bank has a vital role to play and a distinct advantage over new entrants. Technology, he emphasises, will play a crucial part in broadening financial inclusion. In addition, it is important to partner and collaborate with different stakeholders such as NGOs and other organisations dealing with the bottom of the pyramid, to help them reach out to different groups and also improve financial literacy.

Last year saw a boom in venture capital investment into Nigeria. For example, $400m was invested in a number of fintech start-ups during November alone. Is he not worried that these fintech players, with their lower cost base and ability to use technology, AI and big data to overcome traditional hurdles, are going to take the majority share of the pie when it comes to servicing the unbanked?

He says that will only be the case if the banks do not manage to reinvent themselves. In Edinburgh, he actually spent a large part of his day visiting tech hubs around the university in the city and speaking to fintech companies. FirstBank, he adds, has a number of partnerships with fintechs as well as its own Digital Laboratory developing new solutions for the bank.

Nevertheless, he firmly believes that the ‘legacy banks’ will still continue to play a very central role, especially “in this part of the world where banks are quite dominant and they have significant buying power”.

In terms of settlements and deposits, he sees many of these new players as partners they can work with, even if in some areas they will be competitors.

Scope for growth

Despite the impressive strides made by the banking sector in Nigeria, Adeduntan believes there is still a massive scope for growth for the sector. He points out that none of the country’s top banks have made the Top 10 Banks in Africa list, despite Nigeria being the continent’s largest economy.

He thinks that with the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, “we are entering a very interesting period for the banking sector, not only in Nigeria but Africa in general”.

On the domestic front, does he expect further consolidation? “Within certain thresholds,” he answers. “Anything that would allow the strengthening of the entire banking sector, I am sure the Governor of the Central Bank would be positive about.”

He also points to demographics and the high rate of the unbanked as great opportunities for the growth of the sector continentally. “According to UNICEF, two billion babies will be born in Africa in the next 30 years,” he says. “And in places like DRC [where FirstBank has a presence] financial penetration is as low as 5%.” Put the two sets of figures together and, in theory at least, you get vast opportunity. But he adds the all-important caveat that demographics are only good if managed properly.

Supporting national champions

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the bank, however. Adeduntan inherited a bank with several large exposures in the oil & gas and energy sectors, at a time when the oil & gas prices fell considerably, resulting in the devaluation of the naira against the dollar.

He says his management weathered the storm, reduced NPL levels to under double digits, and has strengthened the risk infrastructure, thus enabling the bank to better deal with cyclical downturns in future.

Discussing the role of large companies in the commercial landscape, Adeduntan says it is essential to have big banks like FirstBank, just as it is vital to have national champion companies that have the scale and wherewithal to make transformative investment. Such companies require financial institutions of similar scale to support them. The Dangote Group’s investment into what will become the continent’s largest oil refinery is a case in point, he adds.

Role of the Central Bank

We move on to the regulator and the role of the Central Bank. Does he think that it is too interventionist, dictating how much banks should lend, where they should place their assets?

Adeduntan refused to be drawn into criticism of the regulator, with whom he says he, and other bank CEOs, have a strong relationship. But he did say that the role of a central bank in the development of an emerging economy is clearly different from the role of a central bank in a developed economy.

“It is not unusual that the Central Bank intervenes in critical sectors allied to the loan to deposit ratio. It’s about economic growth; it’s about development; it’s about channelling credit in sectors that are very important for the national economy.

“Let us take agriculture – again, we are one of the biggest lenders into that sector. We found the Central Bank intervention in some of those critical sectors extremely useful and not just for us as a bank, but for the country as a whole. When you look at intervention in agriculture, you have to put it in the context of the size of the population. Nigeria is a country of 200m people today. The business of feeding 200m people is a strategic business. Everything that is being done to ensure that at least we are self-sufficient in food production is strategically important. We find the Central Bank intervention in those areas quite useful and of national importance.”

He reflected the positive attitude of many Nigerian entrepreneurs to the country’s future. He says he has a lot of time for the Economic Advisory Council – composed of credible business leaders and economists – that has been put together by President Muhammadu Buhari. And despite reports that the government is not economy-minded, he thinks that it is a pro-business government.

Ethical banking 

It is nearly 10.00 in the evening when we finish our talk, his day having started at 07.30am. We go back to sustainability and the role of financial services to make sure they are lending to institutions that are ethical about their business and operating in a sustainable manner.

He says that the journey has started even if it is still early days. “But ultimately,” he says, “this is where we are headed. The Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principle speaks to this particular question. I think it’s evident from the points that I’ve made today, you can say that FirstBank is a bank that is happy to forego a few basis points in terms of its net margins, if that means it is contributing to development in a more ethical and sustainable way.

“We’ve always made a point that profitability is very important for us at FirstBank, but economic growth and national development is equally very important and speaks to the sustainability question.”

 

Culled from African Banker

Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria’s leading financial institution, has again emerged as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in the recently released Banker Magazine Top 500 Banking Brands 2020.

For the third consecutive year, Zenith Bank has been ranked as the number one banking brand in Nigeria with a brand value of $287 million and market capitalisation of $1.62 billion, ranking 392 in the 2020 global ranking of banks.

The ranking was published in the February 2020 edition of The Banker magazine of the Financial Times Group in conjunction with London-based Brand Finance.

According to the publication, brand value is the licensing rate that a third-party would need to pay to use the bank’s brand. All brand values in the report are for the year ending December 31, 2019.

Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience and sound financial indices. The bank, with a knack for setting the pace and raising benchmarks, is a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions.

In an apparent show of its resilience and market leadership, Zenith Bank recently announced an impressive result for the year ended December 31, 2019, with profit after tax (PAT) of N208.8 billion, achieving the feat as the first Nigerian Bank to cross the N200 billion mark.

Consistent with this excellent performance and in recognition of its track record of exceptional performance, Zenith Bank was voted as the Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria 2019 by the World Finance and the Best Digital Bank in Nigeria 2019 by Agusto & Co. The bank was also recognised as Bank of the Year and Best Bank in Retail Banking at the 2019 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFI) Awards. Most recently, the bank emerged as the Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the Thisday Awards 2020.

A delegation from the Bank of Beirut led by its Managing Director, Sophoklis Argyrou, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the management of Fidelity Bank PLC to seek  areas of collaboration  between the two institutions. While receiving the guests, Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank PLC, Nnamdi Okonkwo noted the role Bank of Beirut is playing in the growth and development of the economy of Lebanon. Pointedly he commended the Bank for its innovation  and provision of efficient banking services and competitive products targeting not only the affluent but youths and SMEs just like Fidelity Bank.

Okonkwo said Fidelity Bank will leverage the visit to foster growth, open up windows of opportunity across the middle East, chart a new course for the Bank and build a strong global brand.

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) last Friday, officially added a new touch point to its network. UBA operates in 20 African countries and in the United Kingdom, the USA and France. The new branch in Afriland towers on the Lagos Island was commissioned by the Executive Governor of Lagos state, his Excellency Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Chairman of UBA, Mr Tony O. Elumelu. 

The Governor who congratulated the UBA management and Afriland for the beautiful edifice said the bank has remained a principal stakeholder in the development of Lagos, constantly creating jobs and opportunities for Nigerians.

The Chairman, UBA Group, Mr. Tony Elumelu, who received the Governor as well as the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu expressed gratitude to every other guest who took time off their busy schedules to grace the event.

He explained that the project to build the new business office in Afriland towers was borne out of the need to solidify past successes recorded by the bank, as well as create new vistas for the growth of businesses. He explained that Afriland properties, developers of Afriland Towers is set to develop new projects aimed at catapulting Lagos into the state of excellence.

He said, “It is interesting to note that Afriland has been developing some iconic properties, and today is a wonderful and joyous moment to see that this building which has a lot of rich history, is back to life. We call it the rebirth, and we appreciate all the planning that has gone into the creation of this beautiful and clean world-class masterpiece’. Elumelu hinted at plans of Afriland to develop more iconic properties in the near future, adding that given its expertise and its pedigree, the people of Lagos were in for a huge surprise.

Elumelu said, “Indeed, this is just a tip of what we want to do at Falamo in Ikoyi. We are going to develop a world-class integrated complex at Falomo, and everyone will be pleased at the outcome.

On his part, the Lagos State Governor, congratulated UBA and Afriland on the major feat of developing a beautiful edifice such as Afriland, adding that  Tony Elumelu is known for coming up with great ideas that boost employment opportunities for Nigerians.

He said, “This is a historic event today and it is a great honour to be here to see the kind of possibilities that can be achieved when you set your mind to it, and what you can turn an un-earning asset into. It is very interesting to note that that this house, formerly called the Raymond House has a rich history, and this is quite nostalgic for me because like some of you may know, I used to work with UBA and this place was the head office where everyone wanted to be because everything happened here. Im happy to know that it has such a rich history dating back to over a century ago.

Continuing Sanwo-Olu said, “I want to commend you and I am happy that Afriland has turned this into a very beautiful and modern 21^st Century building with a high level of detail, and beautiful structure. Infact, I call it a work-life like environment – this is what it should be, coming to an environment that caters for you in all areas and for your healthy living.”

While stating that the building was bringing back the old glory of Lagos, the governor added that it will put plans in motion to use the Afriland template to develop some of its old buildings.

“We plan to rebuild some of our old structures in Lagos state such as the old Oluwole market, the children’s hospital at Martins street, among others. We will also be building a cable car project into Lagos Island and all the buildings that have gone down will be rebuilt to meet up with international standards that Afriland has shown us here today,” Sanwo Olu added.

The Oba of Lagos, who congratulated UBA for continuing to contribute positively to the economy as a financial institution that cares about the communities in which it operates.

The Managing Director, Afriland Properties, Uzo Oshogwe, gave a brief history of Afriland Towers, noting the former Raymond House was built in 1886. She added that the rebirth of the Towers showed that the company believed in the potential that could be achieved at the edifice.

The new ultra-modern Afriland Tower Business Office is equipped with state – of – the art facilities, designed to ease banking transactions for its visitors. Facilities provided in the new office include ATM galleries amongst others

A former Relationship Manager with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, GTB in Enugu, Onyekachi Nwosu was on Thursday, February 27, 2020 convicted and sentenced to Eighteen (18) years imprisonment by Justice D.V. Agishi of Federal High Court, Enugu on a six (6) amended count charge bothering on forgery, altering and giving a loan with defective collateral brought against him by the Enugu Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Justice Agishi, in her judgement, ruled that the prosecution team led by Mashal Umukoro Onome Esq. proved their case beyond reasonable doubt and that the convict had failed to extricate himself from the self evidenced proofs before the court.

EFCC, in the course of trial, called eight witnesses and tendered several exhibits to prove their case.
The convict was found guilty on all six count charge and sentenced accordingly. On count one and two, he was sentenced to five; while he is to serve two years each on counts three, four, five and six. The cumulative eighteen years prison terms will, however, run concurrently.

Investigation by EFCC revealed several professional misconduct by Nwosu who took undue advantage of his position as a Senior Bank Supervisor and account officer to forge a document titled LETTER of SET-OFF which he used to illegally grant a loan of N34,900,000 (Thirty Four Million,Nine Hundred Thousand Naira) to a customer and his company from several fixed deposits of other customers without their knowledge nor consent.

He was also discovered to have altered several account documents of his friend whom he illegally granted loan as to enhance his Visa application to United Kingdom.