… pledges support to small businesses under AfCFTA
FBNBank Ghana has begun the commencement of activities marking the celebration of its 25th anniversary in the country with a pledge to support a wide range of businesses, particularly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale up their operations in order to take advantage of opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Managing Director of the bank, Victor Yaw Asante, said this after a walk which covered three routes in Accra and one route in Kumasi covering a total of 28kilometres with participants including staff, customers and clients as part of the anniversary celebrations.
According to him, the bank was founded with the aim of facilitating small to medium scale trade – as evidenced by the location of its branches around trading hubs – and has over the years leveraged its expertise to consistently deliver on its core mandate.
Mr. Asante noted that his outfit has the added advantage of drawing on the over 126 years of experience of its parent, First Bank of Nigeria Group adding that this will enable the bank design a suite of relevant products; a move which he reckons will be advantageous for many of the bank’s clients in light of AfCFTA.
“We are well represented in some of the biggest nations on the continent; Ghana, Nigeria and even South Africa. This will ensure that we are able to provide the needed banking linkages within the region. We believe we are well positioned to be a primary player in providing support to drive trade under the free trade area, especially along the Ghana-Nigeria trading corridor,” he said.
He added that despite the turbulent year, the bank saw an appreciation in deposits at the close of last year, a development he credited to the goodwill his outfit enjoys from its growing customer base.
Touching further on the bank’s experience over the past two and half decade, Mr. Asante said that “over the past 25 years, the bank has consistently built relationships with customers, clients, staff and other stakeholders, focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, excellent risk management and exemplary leadership.”
He added that in all its dealings, the bank’s primary focus had been on these stakeholders; a position which emanates from its brand promise of ‘putting you first’, adding that over these years, the bank has nurtured these relationships in order to deepen its engagement with stakeholders and to be able to contribute more significantly to the country’s development.
Activities lined up to celebrate the bank’s milestone anniversary include a thought leadership forum to discuss and find solutions to pertinent socio-economic issues, customer and client engagement sessions and corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives targeted at the deprived and needy in the communities.
In all, it will be an opportunity for the bank to reassert its presence on the market building on the momentum generated in its business over the past years. Staff of the bank are also gearing up for a host of internal activities which would across board enable them to live the bank’s values.
Health Walk
Mr. Asante stated that with the renewed emphasis on health and wellness, especially as a result of the ongoing pandemic, a health walk was the most appropriate activity to kick start the bank’s silver jubilee celebrations and set the tone for the year.
FBNBank Ghana Limited is a member of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited Group. The Bank has 20 branches and 2 agencies in Ghana with almost 500 staff and offers universal banking services to individuals and businesses. FBNBank Ghana Limited has been in the business of banking for 25 years in Ghana and is part of the trade hub that has grown economies for over 126 years across Africa, Europe and China.
