By Damiete Braide
L-R: Toyin Henry-Ajayi, Head, Group Marketing and Retail Analytics, Access Bank Plc; Herbert Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc; Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder, ART X Collective; Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc, and Victor Willie, Chief of Staff to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc at the ART X Lagos opening event in Victoria Island on Friday.
Africa’s financial powerhouse, Access Holdings, is leaving no stone unturned in advancing the course of a prosperous Africa. This long-standing commitment is underscored by its mission to empower the next generation of African creatives through the transformative power of art.
At the eighth edition of West Africa’s leading international art fair, ART X Lagos, Herbert Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings PLC, emphasised the potential contribution of the creative sector to the economic development and to changing stereotypical views of the continent.
“At Access Holdings, our focus on changing the African narrative runs through the very core of our mission, as we firmly believe that by supporting and promoting African art, we contribute to a more accurate and balanced view of our continent. We recognise the potential of art to reflect the present and shape the future. Furthermore, we are cognizant of the potential contributions of the creative sector, particularly visual and contemporary art, to our continent’s GDP if our budding talents can be given the right support and structure to be seen and appreciated.
“Through our support of ART X Lagos, we aim to highlight the multifaceted brilliance of our people and the richness of our culture. In doing so, we will unabashedly celebrate the diversity and strength of the African continent, nurture relationships that transcend borders, build bridges, invest in talent, and foster collaboration on a global scale,” Wigwe added.
This belief is the driving force behind Access Holdings’ continued sponsorship of the Access ART X Prize, an award in partnership with ART X Lagos, which provides early-career artists from Africa and its diaspora with opportunities to develop their craft.
Speaking on this year’s edition, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Founder of ART X Lagos said: “ART X Lagos remains a cornerstone of the African art industry, and demonstrated with its eighth edition that it is more than a traditional art fair. Our uniqueness and strength lies in our ability to gather a wide spectrum of artistic voices on one stage, ranging from a revered 91-year-old artist and prominent collectors, to the hottest new musical talents and DJs in Africa.
“We are delighted at the response from our galleries and artists, who judged the fair a resounding success. This year’s fair further entrenched our uniqueness on the world stage as an innovative multidisciplinary platform that exemplifies unity and excellence across Africa.”
ART X Lagos has become a symbol of empowerment for emerging artists across the continent and Access Holdings’ enduring partnership as the fair’s Lead Sponsor has significantly expanded its reach and impact, providing even more artists with the opportunity to chase their creative
ART X Lagos was created to showcase and support the breadth of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Founded in 2016 by Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, the fair has since become a cornerstone of the African art sector. The first of its kind in West Africa, ART X Lagos goes beyond the traditional bounds of an art fair. Since its debut, ART X Lagos has grown to host galleries and artists from over 40 countries and has become renowned for its ambitious programme that includes ART X Cinema, ART X Talks, ART X Live! and specially curated projects which have featured an array of emerging and established artists from the continent and diaspora.
Access Holdings Plc is a leading multinational financial services group that offers commercial banking, lending, payment, insurance, and asset management services. Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, Access Holdings operates through a network of more than 700 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 19 countries, and 60+ million customers.
Access transitioned into a holding company to drive rapid growth and become a full-scale ecosystem player offering interconnected services across customer needs. Established in 2022, Access Holdings Plc consists of the Access Bank Group; Access Pensions; a Payment and Switching Services Company; a Digital Lending Company, and an Insurance Brokerage Company.
The banking vertical serves its various markets through four business segments: Retail, Business, Commercial and Corporate, and has enjoyed what is arguably Africa’s most successful banking growth trajectory in the last eighteen years, becoming one of Africa’s largest retail banks by customer base and Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest bank by total assets.