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FirstBank, the West African premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider is proud to announce its 2024 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CR&S) Week, scheduled for 19 to 24 August. This year’s edition aims to reinforce the bank’s positive outcomes of sowing seeds of kindness by empowering the lives of communities, and minimizing the environmental impact environment, while advancing the Bank’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The CR&S Week is a dedicated week that offers opportunities for employees of the FirstBank Group (FirstBank Nigeria, FirstBank UK, FirstBank Gambia, FirstBank Sierra-Leone, FirstBank DRC, FirstBank Guinea, FirstBank Ghana, FBNBank Senegal; First Pension and First Nominees) to give their time & resources to defined causes in line with the Bank’s CR&S strategic approach.
Now in its eighth year, the FirstBank Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week is a week reserved by the Bank for the demonstration of kindness being a fundamental philosophy of the Bank, as the Bank and its employees “Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness” (SPARK) the value-based initiative in alignment with the ethos of compassion, civility, and charity. During the 2023 CR&S Week, 8 countries participated with over 80 charities/NGOs and 30,000 lives impacted.
The 2024 CR&S is envisioned to be an eventful week of impact, sowing the seed of kindness through the following initiatives/activities:
Tree Planting- FirstBank will plant 30,000 trees across Nigeria, furthering its commitment to plant 50,000 trees by 2025 in partnership with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF).
Women Empowerment- The bank will support Jigawa and Plateau States by driving awareness, performing surgeries, and providing post-care kits for those living with Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF).
Visitation for Charity- FirstBank will visit orphanage homes, IDP camps, and other charities across Nigeria, SSA markets, and the UK, demonstrating kindness and empowering those at the bottom of the pyramid.
Kind Comment- Staff and management will share kind comments throughout the week, promoting a culture of compassion and civility across the bank.
Woven into the fabric of the society since over 130 years and enabling success in our customers and communities, these initiatives epitomize FirstBank’s care for the environment and humanity, aligning with the Bank’s sustainability strategic pillars and support for the Green Recovery Nigeria
Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications FirstBank, said “At FirstBank, we remain committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of our customers and the communities we serve. Our 2024 CR&S Week is a testament to this dedication, and we are excited to amplify our efforts in enabling the Giants in the lives of our communities and enhance sustainable development and community growth.”
As we celebrate the FirstBank’s Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability week, we invite all to embrace the spirit of kindness as we come together this special occasion to weave kindness into the fabric of our daily lives, leaving a lasting impact on one another,” she concluded.
About FirstBank
First Bank of Nigeria Limited “FirstBank”, established in 1894, is the premier bank in West Africa, a leading financial inclusion services provider in Africa, and a digital banking giant.
FirstBank’s international footprints cut across three continents ─ Africa, Europe, and Asia, with FirstBank UK Limited in London and Paris; FirstBank in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone; FBNBank in Senegal; and a FirstBank Representative Office in Beijing, China. All the subsidiary banks are fully registered by their respective Central Banks to provide full banking services.
Besides providing domestic banking services, the subsidiaries also engage in international cross-border transactions with FirstBank’s non-Nigerian subsidiaries, and the representative offices in Paris and China facilitate trade flows from Asia and Europe into Nigeria and other African countries.
For 130 years, FirstBank has built an outstanding reputation for solid relationships, good corporate governance, and a strong liquidity position, and has been at the forefront of promoting digital payment in the country with over 13 million cards issued to customers (the first bank to achieve such a milestone in Nigeria). FirstBank has continued to make significant investments in technology, innovation and transformation, and its cashless transaction drive has been steadily accentuated with virtually 23 million active FirstBank customers signed up on digital channels including the USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code.
With over 42 million customer accounts (including digital wallets) spread across Nigeria, UK and sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank provides a comprehensive range of retail and wholesale financial services through more than 820 business offices and over 233,500 agent locations spread across 772 out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
In addition to banking solutions and services, FirstBank provides pension fund custody services in Nigeria through First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited and nominee and associated services through First Nominees Nigeria Limited.
FirstBank’s commitment to Diversity is shown in its policies, partnerships and initiatives such as its employees’ ratio of female to male (about 39%:61%; and 32% women in management) as well as the FirstBank Women Network, an initiative that seeks to address the gender gap and increase the participation of women at all levels within the organisation. In addition, the Bank’s membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate policy that is consistent with UN Women’s Women Empowerment’s Principles (WEPs) ─ Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Nondiscrimination.
For six consecutive years (2011 – 2016), FirstBank was named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” by the globally renowned The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” eight times in a row, 2011 – 2018, by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.
In 2022, the Top 100 African Bank rankings released by The Banker Magazine ranked FirstBank as number one in Nigeria in terms of Overall Performance, Profitability, Efficiency and Return on Risk. Also in 2022, the Bank received the “Most Innovative Retail Banking Product in Nigeria (FastTrack ATM)” and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” awards from International Finance Magazine. FirstBank was also awarded “Best Corporate Banking Western Africa, 2022” and “Best CSR Bank Western Africa, 2022’’ by Global Banking and Finance Magazine.
Other notable awards in FirstBank coffers include: “Best Bank in Nigeria” by Global Finance magazine – fifteen times in a row; “Best Private Bank in Nigeria-2021” awarded by Global Finance magazine; “Best Internet Banking Nigeria” and ‘’Best CSR Bank Africa’’ by International Business Magazine.
In 2023, FirstBank received notable awards including “Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2023” by Global Finance Awards; “Best Sustainable Bank in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Bespoke Banking Services in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Financial Inclusion Service Provider in Nigeria 2023” by Digital Banker Africa; and “African Bank of the Year” by African Leadership Magazine; ’’Best Corporate Bank in Nigeria 2023’’ by Euromoney Awards and ‘’Most Innovative Banking Brand – Nigeria 2023’’ by Global Brands Award.
Other laudable feats in 2023 include FirstBank’s international recognitions on major indices by Euromoney Market Leaders, an independent global assessment of the leading financial service providers where FirstBank was crowned:
- Market Leader: (tier-1 recognition) in Corporate Banking,
- Market Leader: (tier -1 recognition) in Digital Solutions,
- Highly Regarded: Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR),
- Highly Regarded: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG),
- Notable: in SME Banking.
Significantly, FirstBank’s Global Credit Rating was A+ with a positive outlook while ratings by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s were A (nga) and ngBBB+ respectively both with Stable outlooks as at September 2023. FirstBank maintained the same level of international credit ratings as the sovereign; a milestone that was achieved in 2022 for the first time since 2015.
Our vision is ‘To be Africa’s Bank of first choice’ and our mission is ‘To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible. This commitment is anchored on our core values of EPIC – Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Innovation and Customer-Centricity. Our strategic ambition is ‘To deliver accelerated growth in profitability through customer-led innovation and disciplined execution and our brand promise is always to deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence to position You First in every respect.
Folake Ani-Mumuney
Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
First Bank of Nigeria Limited