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First Bank of Nigeria Limited sponsored the sixth edition of the Africa Fashion Week, Nigeria, which held on Friday and Saturday, 20 – 21 December, 2019, at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The Africa Fashion Week, Nigeria, is a convergence of fashion entrepreneurs and the general public to promote the creativity and innovation of Nigerian and African brands through worldwide visibility, distribution and manufacturing. The 2019 event was themed ‘Africa Unites’.
The Africa Fashion Week, Nigeria, has consistently been recognised internationally due to the unique African styles displayed by entrepreneurs across the dynamic and versatile African fashion landscape. With the growing interest by the public and fashion enthusiasts using fashion as an instrument of sustainability and social change, the event, provided a platform to help raise awareness around the sickle cell disorder. The event featured runway shows (comprising designers and runway models with sickle cell disorder), marketplace exhibition and panel session of fashion talks.
Dignitaries at the event include First Ladies of Ekiti, Ogun and Kwara states, Mrs Bisi Adeleye – Fayemi, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun and Mrs Folake Abdulrazaq respectively. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, former Director-General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Mrs Omotayo Omotosho; popular television presenter and model, Idia Aisen; model and beauty influencer, Whitney Madueke were also in attendance. FirstBank was represented by Helen Ogboh, Business Manager, Corporate Banking.
Leading fashion designers that showcased their wares at the 2-day event were Daviva, Zephyr’s Atelier, Caroline 1942, Ashor by Bumz with exhibitions from Bee Fab, Moon by me, Bolams Aso oke amongst others.
In the course of the event, the Bank showcased the FirstBank Ankara in “The FirstBank Collection” segment at the event where FirstBank staff wore the Bank’s 125th-anniversary fabric and walked the runway.
Speaking on the event, the Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Folake Ani-Mumuney, said, “We are pleased to identify with Africa Fashion Week, Nigeria, as it showcases creativity by African fashion designers to the teeming public, leading players and enthusiasts of African fashion whilst promoting their contribution to the growth of the fashion industry.”
“We will continue to drive advocacy for this as it can create jobs that will deepen opportunities for the revival of our textile industry resulting in SME growth along the value chains especially, with the growing demand in the fashion industry.” she concluded.
Only recently, the bank promoted the use of local fabric with a ‘What If’ campaign to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence. The campaign ran across the social media channels Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, to promote the versatility and creativity of sewing local fabrics as a national symbol vis outfits, clothing accessories, household furniture and so forth which is line with the Bank’s celebratory 125th anniversary, themed, “Woven into the Fabric of Society”.
Access named ‘Most Sustainable Bank’ at 2019 CBN Sustainability Awards
Access Bank Plc was recently acknowledged as the Most Sustainable Bank in Nigeria for the third consecutive time at the 2019 Central Bank of Nigeria Sustainability Awards held at the 2019 Bankers Committee Gala Night in Ogere, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Access Bank was also awarded first position in other categories such as the ‘Most Sustainable Transaction of the Year in Agriculture’ and the ‘Most Sustainable Transaction of the Year in Oil and Gas’. Additional wins include the ‘Most Sustainable Transaction of the Year in Power’ and the ‘Bank of the Year in Women Economic Empowerment’.
According to Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc., the awards are a “testament to Access Bank’s sustainability commitment.”
“Our vision is to be the world’s most respected African Bank and sustainability is critical to our achieving this,” he said.
The Bank’s Head of Sustainability, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, added that, “in our determined effort to offer more than banking, we will continue to set the standards for responsible business practices and demonstrate corporate brand commitment to addressing social, economic, and environmental issues”.
Access Bank has pioneered many innovative sustainability initiatives, some of which include the establishment of the first-ever disability-friendly inclusion hub to promote the access of persons with disabilities to ICT skills and opportunities – in partnership with Project Enable; the creation of a digital, toll-free platform to address gender violence – in partnership with HACEY Health Initiative; upcycling of waste and recycling of paper to pencils, among many others.
Other recognitions accorded the Bank in recent months include the ‘Outstanding Business Sustainability Award’ at the 2019 Karlsruhe Sustainable Finance Awards; ‘Most Socially Responsible Company of the Year (Overall Winner)’ at the 2019 Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAs); ‘Bank of the Year’ Award at the 2019 Banker Awards; ‘Best Bank in Nigeria’ and ‘Best Product Launch (Pan Africa)’ Awards at the 2019 Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Finance Awards.
The CBN Sustainability Awards, recognizes and rewards Sustainability performance especially with respect to the effective implementation of the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles. The awards acknowledge the efforts of financial service providers operating in Nigeria, who have been able to successfully integrate social and environmental considerations into their business operations and activities in the year under review.
