Nigerian tier one lender, Access Bank Plc has been recognised as the most responsible business in Africa, among others.
In a statement made available to newsmen, the bank confirmed that it got several awards at the 12th edition of the SERAS CSR Awards.
The Group Head of Sustainability at Access Bank, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, received the ‘Most Responsible Business in Africa’, ‘Best Partnership for Development’, ‘Best Corporate Communication Team’ and ‘Sustainability Practitioner of the Year’ awards on behalf of the bank at the event.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Personal Banking, Access Bank, Victor Etuokwu, said the awards represent the intelligent work of the bank in the past years.
“We believe that a sustainable business is a more successful business; hence, we have made sustainability the bedrock of all our business operations over the last 10 years. These awards represent a recognition of what we have done and point to the things that lie ahead. We are truly grateful to God and the organisers, and we are inspired by this opportunity,” Etuokwu said.
The SERAS CSR Awards is an annual event aimed at recognising and celebrating organisations for investing resources in the improvement of lives and the environment they serve, through several innovative programmes and initiatives.
At the recently-organised 12th edition of the awards, a total of 26 awards were presented to several corporate organisations and individuals in recognition of their efforts towards practising sustainable business principles and embedding concern for the environment into their business consideration.
Access Bank’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, show interest income increased from N245 billion in 2017 to N272 billion in 2018.
Profit before tax dipped from N72.9 billion in 2017 to N70 billion in 2018. Profit after tax, however, rose from N56.3 billion in 2017 to N62.9 billion in 2018.
The shares of the commercial bank traded at N7.50 on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).