Content Partners
COVID-19: Ecobank commits about N100 million to national radio campaign “StaySafeNigeria”
Ecobank Nigeria says it is committing about N100 million to drive its National Radio Campaign “StaySafeNigeria”, being part of its corporate actions to support measures to check the rising spread of Coronavirus.
Ecobank Nigeria says it is committing about N100 million to drive its National Radio Campaign “StaySafeNigeria”, being part of its corporate actions to support measures to check the rising spread of Coronavirus.
The campaign which is a call to action, creating awareness and educating the populace on safety measures to adopt against the dreaded COVID -19, is currently running in over 50 radio stations across the six geopolitical zones of the country, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) network news. This amount is in addition to the bank’s contribution as a corporate member of the Bankers Committee and the Nigerian Private Sector led Coalition to raise funds against COVID-19, The details of this contribution will be made public in due course.
The campaign messaging which is in Pidgin, Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba is also being driven through the social media and is trending extensively on #StaySafeNigeria, #StaySafeNaija, #StaySafe tag following massive support from members of the Creative industry essentially on philanthropic basis. The bank in a statement thanked the entertainers and football stars who have so far adopted the campaign as a show of commitment and belief in the bank’s approach in the public enlightenment of Nigerians, ensuring the message is taken to every doorstep, especially at the grassroots for all citizens to imbibe the ethos of “StaySafeNigeria”.
The bank listed those who have supported to include the Legends of Nollywood, Linda Ikeji, Brodashaggi, Alex Ekubo, Taaooma, Sound Sultan, Bolanke Austen Peter’s, Mr Macaroni, Teni Oluwo, Dala Oruwari, former African Footballer of the year, Victor Ikpeba, football legends, Austin Eguavoen, Garba Lawal and Mutiu Adepoju amongst several others. The bank is also using the opportunity to invite other stars to join the #“StaySafeNigeria” campaign to sustain a new national reorientation on hygiene.
Also, the bank has announced that any money transferred on its digital platforms below N5,000 will be free of charge to customers, until 30 April, to encourage citizens adopt digital banking that supports safety measures, particularly the social distancing campaign, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Announcing this in Lagos, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria Patrick Akinwuntan says the bank’s priority is peoples’ wellbeing and is therefore determined to support everyone in the face of unplanned shutdown which already has huge economic impact citizens.
[READ MORE: Ecobank Nigeria makes senior management appointments)
By this announcement users of Ecobank Mobile, Ecobank Online, USSD-Ecobank *326#, Omni Lite, can now do transfers below N5,000 at zero fees. Before now Ecobank customers who perform transactions on the bank’s platform by dialling *326# does so free of the USSD session fee.
“We have no choice as a caring and responsible corporate organisation than to rise up to this challenge of our generation and make every contribution to check the spread and save lives. Our media campaign is engaging people in very simple language on important tips to stay safe.
“The campaign will be sustained to continue promoting good hygiene conduct even after we overcome Coronavirus. we are also determined to support the Nigerian government and to ensure impact of the business shut down is minimal on the citizens. We encourage our customers to utilize our digital self-service solutions, including Ecobank Mobile App, Ecobank Online, EcobankPay, Ecobank OmniPlus, Omni Lite and the RapidTransfer App without having to visit branches. This is as part of our efforts to ensure social distancing which will help curtail the spread of COVID-19.
“By utilizing these digital offerings, you can easily access your bank accounts, make payments, transfer funds, process salaries, and carry out your other ancillary banking transactions from the comfort of your home and office without visiting the branch,” Mr Akinwuntan stated.
Also speaking, Olukorede Demola-Adeniyi, Head of Consumer Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, says customers who are yet to upgrade to the new Ecobank Mobile App 4.0 should quickly do so. The Ecobank Mobile App is available for all banking transactions because of its versatility and salient benefits which include the following;
- The ability to send money to anyone via email or SMS by simply selecting the recipient from your contacts and send money to their email or phone number. The recipient will be able to get the money using any bank account, even if they don’t have an Ecobank account.
- Ability to create virtual cards for safe shopping and enjoy the convenience of a virtual card without worrying about it being linked to your account – customer can create several virtual cards.
- Ability to split bills without fuss, enabling you to share expenses as you desire, with friends and family, who will simply get notifications on what they need to refund you. It’s a smart way to get your money back without hounding.”
Further, Mrs Demola-Adeniyi, reiterated that the Ecobank Mobile app supports customers to pay the fast and stress-free way with EcobankPay by simply scanning the QR code or dial *326*6*Amount*Terminal ID# to pay. “It saves you PoS charges and less human contact. When next you are at the store and need to pay, just ask the merchant for EcobankPay. Regardless of what you want to achieve, the Ecobank Mobile App is available for you”. She noted.
Content Partners
Leadway Pensure PFA bags Customer Service Excellence award at Africa Brands Awards 2021
Leadway Pensure’s award reaffirms its commitment over the years to giving its clients amazing experiences beyond the call of duty.
Leadway Pensure PFA Limited, Nigeria’s foremost pension funds administrator, has been recognized as the most admired pension brand in Nigeria following its emergence as the winner of the Customer Excellence Award at the 2021 edition of the Africa Brands Awards.
The prestigious African Brands Awards was created over a decade ago to promote innovation and creativity amongst African brands across different industries. The emergence of Leadway Pensure as the winner of the Customer Service Excellence award in the pension category reaffirms the brand’s customer-centricity and its commitment over the years to giving its clients amazing experiences beyond the call of duty. The recognition comes at a crucial period in the pensions industry with the opening of the transfer window which allows customers move their retirement savings account from their existing PFA to another.
Still on the recognition, the Managing Director, Leadway Pensure PFA Limited, Mrs. Ronke Adedeji, stated that receiving the award was a testament to how the brand had treated its clients and the positive perception it had been able to create in the larger society. According to her, “Our clients are at the center of everything we do, hence, we are constantly innovating and finding new ways to better their experiences with us. We continue to blaze the trail in the industry by finding simple and smarter channels to deliver our services; and optimizing our processes. We are a firm believer that if truly we must assist our clients to get more out of life, we must also continuously explore effective and efficient ways of delivering pension services.”
Mrs. Adedeji hinted that the company invested heavily in digital channels aimed at easing tracking, reporting, and communicating with its clients. “In addition to our long-standing heritage of excellence and competitive returns on investments, we prioritize accessibility for our clients by launching online channels to connect with them. Some of the online channels include our Online Enrolment Portal that allows users to remotely open a Retirement Savings Account (RSA) and get their RSA PIN instantly, our Mobile App, Interactive SMS, Pensure Online (p-Online), SureCal (Pensure Calculator), amongst others. We are unwavering in our promise to all existing and potential clients to continuously offer pension plans and experiences that surpass their expectations,” Mrs. Adedeji said.
It is important to note that the company also recently received the ISO 27001 certification, a globally coveted standards certification that recognizes commitment to the highest standards of information data security management.
Leadway Pensure has, over the years, shown itself as one of the leading PFA’s in Nigeria. It continues to advance the PFA industry by devising unique ways to service the ecosystem and deliver value to all stakeholders. Leadway Pensure is one of the most capitalized PFA’s in Nigeria with an authorized share capital of N2.0 Billion. Our shareholder’s fund is in excess of N7.0 Billion, unimpaired by losses.
Content Partners
ITA partners NEPC to launch first E-Lab Innova training for agribusinesses in Nigeria
The E-Lab Innova is an educational training program for the agri-food sector in Nigeria.
As part of its commitment to boost trade relationships with Nigeria, the Italian Trade Agency, a governmental agency that supports the business development, partnerships and collaborations between Italian companies and their local counterparts, has launched the first E-Lab Innova in Nigeria. The E-Lab Innova is an educational training program for the agri-food sector in Nigeria which will be implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Commission (NEPC) alongside other Italian partners, such as MACFRUT, a leading exhibition for the agribusiness industry.
The training is aimed at increasing the technical and managerial skills of Nigerian agri-food companies in order to support their access to EU markets and foster business partnerships with Italian companies. Participants which were selected with the support of NEPC are CEOs of high-potential companies active in the production of foods such as mango, pineapple, shea nuts and groundnuts. The programme is scheduled to hold for the duration of five weeks and will be implemented in three phases: a preliminary assessment to analyze the technical and management training requirements, company potential and profile design; 2-week webinar training classes focused on key internalization topics and a 5-days study tour in Italy, which will include Macfrut exhibition.
Giving his opening remark at the event held to flag off the training, the Italian Trade Agency Director for West Africa, Dr. Alessandro Gerbino said, “Nigeria remains a strategic point for engagement between the agency and other countries across West Africa. The E-Lab Innova holds prospects for Nigerian companies to be imparted on the knowledge and technicalities of their counterparts abroad whilst also paving the way for collaborations between Italian and Nigerian agribusinesses.”
“It is a pleasure to see the collaboration between the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), to develop the capacity of agribusinesses and aid their integration into the value chain of European Union markets. We remain committed to supporting the government’s plan to create more jobs through the agrofood industry and ensure that these businesses have the right skillset to grow, sustain their operations and contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s economy,” Dr. Gerbino added.
In her keynote address, Uduak Etokowoh, Deputy Director, International Export Offices, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), said, “the council constantly seeks out collaborations like this to strengthen trade relations across the world. The European Union (EU) is one of the largest markets for agribusiness, however, challenges such as logistics and inability to meet market needs pose a threat to growth opportunities. In adjusting to the new normal of virtual engagements, we are extremely delighted to partner the ITA to deliver this virtual training in support of wealth creation for the economy and to enhance seamless penetration to the EU markets for Nigerian agribusinesses”.
13 agribusinesses across Nigeria took part in the first training session including United Agro Cooperative Society Limited, Cobrend Trading and more; the programme will involve nearly 40 Nigerian companies in total. Since the launch of Lab Innova in Africa, over 140 companies across Ghana, Angola, Mozambique, Uganda and Ethiopia have successfully gone through the training programme, with study tours and exhibitions held in Italy.
About the Italian Trade Agency in Nigeria
ITA – Italian Trade Agency is the Governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investment in Italy. With a motivated and modern organization and a widespread network of overseas offices, ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion and training to Italian small and medium-sized businesses.
The agency is committed to establishing strong contact with Nigeria with a major focus on industrial technologies that address the growth pattern Nigeria has adopted in several areas, so to add value to local natural resources and raw materials.
Using the most modern multi-channel promotion and communication tools, it acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy in the world. ITA operates in 70 countries under the Italian Embassy.
