Access Bank marks sustainability

NIGERIAN GLOBAL FOCUSED lender, Access Bank is rolling out a series of activities to mark its 10 years of commitment to sustainability principles.

NI G E R I A N GLOBAL FO CUSED lender, Access Bank is rolling out a series of activities to mark its 10 years of commitment to sustainability principles.

The bank, in a statement released at the weekend, said in order to reinforce this commitment, beginning from today, November 5 up until Friday November 9, it would be marking its own Sustainability Awareness Week.

According to the bank, the theme of the CSR Week is ‘The Journey to a Sustainable Future’ through which the bank said it aims to remind staff of the crucial role they have to play in creating a sustainable future. “This week will also encourage them to engage in activities that will positively impact the environment as well as touch lives, leaving indelible positive memories on people,” it said.

The Sustainability Awareness Week 2018 is to be held in all the subsidiaries of Access Bank, the statement noted.

Events lined up to mark the week include the Employee

Volunteering Awareness Day that recognizes the contributions of employees who have championed vari- ous innovative initiatives to better the lives of people in various communities, the bank explained, adding that during the week, it would also reward sustainable actions of employees and groups across the bank.

“Additionally, various impactful training sessions and workshops will be held to educate people on the importance of embedding responsible practices in business operations and everyday life. They will highlight the effect on the triple bottom line - Planet, People and Profit,” the bank stated.

Other events during the week will include the financing by Access Bank, of the treatment of 100 women with fistula as well as hosting a Biggest Loser weight loss challenge.

Herbert Wigwe, group managing director and CEO of Access Bank, said of the “Sustainability Awareness Week”: “Protecting the environment is the duty of every human being and business; therefore, looking at the world through a sustainability lens helps us ‘future proof’ our present actions and their consequences in the future.”

Wigwe said the bank is not only in business to maximise shareholders’ value, but that it considers the social and environmental impact of every aspect of its banking operations and channel its resources to achieve sustainable growth and development in Africa. “As we carry out our business, we put the community at the centre of everything we do. We will continue to live true to the promise in our mission to set standards for sustainable practices that deliver value to the markets and communities we serve,” he said.

Looking at the world through a sustainability lens helps us ‘future proof’ our present actions and their consequences in the future