Boost for financial inclusion as Access Bank empowers 160,000 agents
FINANCIAL inclusion drive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is expected to boost up following the empowerment of 160,000 banking agents known as Closa agent, with solar powered fibre kiosks, by Access Bank.
the solar powered fiber kiosks are meant to support the agents’ businesses and boost visibility of their locations to provide more than banking services to both existing and new customers across the country.
With the current number of Access Closa Agents spread across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, the bank has significantly grown access to finance and banking services to millions of previously un(der) banked Nigerians, while providing alternate streams of income for Micro, small and Medium enterprises (Msmes), promoting financial literacy, and advancing its ambition to bank one in every two Nigerians by 2025.
According to Rob Giles, senior retail advisory, Access Bank Group, “the Access Closa network is a bespoke channel through which the bank expresses her passion and commitment to broadening the opportunities and access to financial services for every Nigerian and African, irrespective of the location they might be. Customers can locate a Closa agent near them by simply searching for ‘Access Closa Agent’ on google maps on their phone instead of walking long distances in search of a branch.
Reiterating Rob’s statement, Chizoba iheme, group head, agency banking and financial inclusion said, “the exponential growth of Access Bank’s agent network is in fulfilment of the bank’s promise to ensure easier and safer access to financial services for every Nigerian. As a bank driven by innovation, we must deliver better outcomes for customers in terms of speed, security, and service to enhance customer experience in all the locations that we operate. With over 160,000 Access Closa Agents spread across Nigeria, you can conveniently pay bills, send money to loved ones and deposit your existing Naira notes through an agent near you to avoid the risk of moving cash to a distant branch.