By Grace Alegba

The First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. has assured its customers of opportunities to experience world-class innovative banking services through the bank’s Digital Xperience centres.

First Bank Managing Director, Adeshola Adeduntan, announced this at the inauguration of the bank’s Digital Xperience centre in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday.

The bank noted that the centre would be the fourth fully automated branch to give customers the desired banking experience.

It also said that the Ikoyi centre “is a state-of-the-art hub completely automated and made interactive for self-service to eliminate need for tellers or human staff.

“The centre is equipped with ATMs, card issuance stand, a humanoid robot and teller cash recycler”.

The managing director said that First Bank had also begun technological revolution to give customers seamless banking experience.

He said that the Banana Island First Bank Digital Xperience centre would deliver a world-class self-service to customers.

Adeduntan noted that the first three branches were located in Victoria Island, Ibadan and Abuja.

He said that plans were ongoing to roll out additional five branches in choice and strategic locations across the nation before the end of 2024.

“The pillar of the transformation of the bank that we started about seven, eight years ago is investment in technology and deployment of technology to exceed our customers expectations consistently.

“At the heart of our transformation is customers, because we believe that the primary reason why we have been successful over the last 130 years is because we focused on our customers and that focus has not changed.

“Specifically, we have been rolling out the Digital Xperience centres where our customers can walk into a comfortable location of this nature, conduct or transact with us without any human intervention,” he said.

He said that feedback from previous locations were impressive and expressed hope that individuals living in Banana Island and its neighbourhood would take advantage of the centre.

Speaking on the digital edge, he said that customers could issue digital cards themselves.

Mr Chuma Ezirim, the Group Executive, E-Business and Retail Products Division of the bank, said that the bank was considering cloud technology as an important option to guide against internet cuts.

Ezirim said that the inauguration of the Digital Xperience centre was part of strategies to take banking to the door step of customers and come up with solutions to help customers in easier business transactions.

Mr Olusola Odukoya,  General Manager, Banana Island Estate, thanked the bank for opening a Digital Xperience centre in the area.

Also, Mr Callistus Obetta, the Group Executive, Technology, Digital Innovations and Banking Services of the bank, said that beyond automation, the centre provided ambient welcoming environment for users.

Obetta said that world leading cutting edge security and digital biometric authentications were included in backend servers to ensure customers’ funds safety. (NAN)

Edited by Kayode Olaitan

 Mark Longyen

The President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Toure, says the subregional bloc has achieved the aims and objectives for which it was formed by its founding fathers 49 years after. 

Toure made this known at a news conference in Abuja to commence a weekly media engagement aimed at giving maximum publicity to ECOWAS activities going forward.

He expressed confidence that the new initiative would fast-track the dissemination of information and facilitate the media’s critical role as partners in the ECOWAS project, and breach observed gaps.

Toure noted that ECOWAS’ major success story was that over the last 49 years, it had been able to unite its 15 member states around its common objectives of socio-economic development through regional integration.

He said: “As captured in Article 3 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, Member States have committed themselves to the promotion of integration, leading to the establishment of an economic Union in West Africa in order to raise the standard of living of its peoples.

“And, to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations among the Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African continent.”

According to him, substantive progress has been made in the pursuit of the aims and objectives of establishing ECOWAS on May 27, 1975, touching all facets of the institution’s projects and programmes.

These, he said, included the rights of community citizens to reside and establish businesses within the Community, infrastructure development, harmonization of socio-economic and financial policies, promotion of peace, security and stability.

He enumerated these to include trade and free movement; infrastructure; energy, peace, security, democracy and justice; health; food security and fragility.

The president said that under free trade and movement, ECOWAS succeeded in creating a single market for members’ businesses under its ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme that was introduced in 1979.

“This immediately made the trade in unprocessed goods, traditional handicrafts free of any restrictions, tariffs, quotas and any encumbrances.

“The ECOWAS scheme means that food items, grains and animals produced within ECOWAS can be sold and consumed anywhere in the Community.

“In addition, manufactured goods in the region, which have a specified percentage of local content, can be traded freely within the Community without tariff, quota, and other forms of obstacles,” he said.

Toure said that in order to ease cross-border crossing, ECOWAS has been implementing joint border posts in the Community, which bring together border officials of two neighboring countries to carry out joint operations to ease crossing frontiers by traders and transporters.

“We have built this joint border between Nigeria and Benin at the Seme-Krake border and between Togo and Ghana at Noepe-Akanu border. Thanks to the financial support of the European Union, these borders posts are now operational.

“There is also another border post that has been made operational between Nigeria and Cameroon, at the Ekok-Mfun border, which was financed by the African Development Bank,” he said.

In terms of infrastructure, the President disclosed that ECOWAS established regional infrastructure policies and regulations for the physical integration of ECOWAS Member States, such as regional highways, railways and airways projects, and maritime transportation plans.

“The Abidjan-Lagos corridor is one of the biggest and busiest economic corridors in Africa. We are developing this highway and extending it to connect Abidjan and Praia via The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia,” he said.

Toure disclosed that ECOWAS had also engaged in major programmes in the energy sector, where a regional energy market was being developed under the West African Power Pool, which has enabled the sale and purchase of electricity among members.

“To support this market, regional electricity regulations have been developed and electricity projects interconnecting Member States are being implemented. Some have been completed linking Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo,” he said.

The ECOWAS President noted that a cardinal success story of ECOWAS was its accomplishments in the promotion of regional peace, security and stability, especially through the ECOMOG peace-keeping interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“In the same vein, ECOWAS is also spending considerable resources on fighting terrorism in the region, while a major intervention is ongoing on maritime security,” he said.

In terms of food security and fragility, the Commission’s President  said that progress had been recorded in other areas, including the establishment of a regional Stabilization Fund in the Gambia and Guinea Bissau, to address fragility in the subregion.

“In the agriculture sector, there are numerous coordinated interventions, such as the ECOWAS Rice Offensive, which seeks to reduce the region’s dependence on importation of rice,” he said.

The Commission’s President said that ECOWAS has also made giant strides in the health sector, prominent among which was the establishment of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), a specialized institution to handle health issues in the region.(NAN)(nannews.ng)

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By Lydia Ngwakwe

Parallex Bank Ltd. has been recognised as the Reputable Bank of the Year by the Global Reputation Forum in the United Kingdom.

The Chief Executive Officer of Parallex Bank, Dr Olufemi Bakre, who represented the bank at the event, made this known in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

Bakre said the award was presented at the 2023 Reputable Banks and Fintech Awards held at Westminster Bridge, London.

He noted that the rapidly emerging commercial bank in Nigeria, stood out among a select group of the most reputable banks and fintech institutions across Africa.

He said the Global Reputation Forum acknowledged Parallex Bank’s distinguished performance in corporate governance as the basis for the prestigious accolade.

Bakre expressed satisfaction with the award, emphasising that the award underscored Parallex Bank’s substantial impact on the Nigerian banking sector.

He highlighted that the bank’s commitment to its founding values has earned recognition from esteemed organisations through a series of prestigious awards.

Bakre reiterated the bank’s unwavering commitment to its “limitless banking” mantra, ensuring that every Nigerian experiences banking differently.

He emphasised the substantial investment in banking technology, enhancing customer experiences with seamless transactions on the bank’s platforms.

“Parallex Bank’s dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction recently earned it the esteemed title of the Agency Bank of the Year at the Businessday’s Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards.

“This latest accolade not only solidifies Parallex Bank’s reputation as an industry pathfinder but also serves as a testament to its ongoing commitment to shaping the future of banking in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.

Bakre quoted Mr Tonye Indaminabo, the Chief Executive Officer of Reputation Poll International, as saying that Parallex Bank holds a unique position as the first and currently the sole financial institution to transition from a microfinance bank to a commercial bank in Nigeria.

“The annual Reputable Banks and Fintech Awards and Conference, orchestrated by Reputation Poll International, a globally acclaimed reputation-management firm, is strategically designed to recognise the exponential growth, accelerated progress, and transformative reforms within Africa’s banking and financial sector.

“The selection process is meticulously based on polls conducted among the public and customers, honouring and celebrating banks and fintech institutions that play pivotal roles in propelling Africa’s rapidly evolving financial landscape forward.

“Parallex Bank, a recipient of multiple awards, has consistently demonstrated excellence in banking practices, securing various accolades both locally and internationally over the past two years,” he said.(NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Lydia Ngwakwe

The Association of Corporate and Marketing Communications Professionals in Banks in Nigeria (ACAMB) has described the death of its Publicity Secretary, Mr Abdul Imoyo, as a big blow to the banking and financial sector.

The President, ACAMB, Mr Rasheed Bolarinwa, said this in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

Rasheed said until his demise, Imoyo contributed significantly to the financial group’s communication strategies and public image.

“ACAMB is deeply saddened to announce the passing of its esteemed Publicity Secretary, Mr Abdul Imoyo.

“Imoyo, a highly regarded corporate media manager and Journalist, breathed his last in the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, at the First Cardiology, Ikoyi, Lagos, after a brief illness.

“Until his untimely demise, Imoyo served as the Head of Media Relations at Access Holdings, where he contributed significantly to the financial group’s communication strategies and public image,” the statement said.

It quoted a heartfelt statement earlier released by Tunde Imoyo, representing the Imoyo family, as saying, “It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of our beloved husband, father, brother, and uncle, Abdul Kolawole Imoyo, who departed to be with the Lord in the early hours of Dec. 17, 2023, after a brief illness.

“We are taking some time as a family to grieve over our loss at this time. We thank you for your prayers and support.”

The statement described the late Imoyo as a dedicated professional with an unwavering commitment to excellence in the field of corporate communications.

“His contributions to ACAMB and the broader corporate landscape, will be remembered and celebrated by colleagues, associates, and the entire banking community.

“With nostalgia, the association recalls that late Imoyo played active roles in cementing the bonds of relationship between ACAMB and other industry bodies such as the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria and the Capital Market Correspondents Association of Nigeria, while he was in the media.

“That he emerged the Publicity Secretary of the current ACAMB exco was in recognition of his amiable traits, needed to wedge the critical stakeholders in the industry,” it said.

ACAMB extends its deepest condolences to the Imoyo family and Access Holdings Group during this difficult time and expresses gratitude for Imoyo’s invaluable service to the Association and the corporate sector at large.

It added that the funeral arrangements and memorial service details from the Imoyo family would be communicated at a later date. (NAN)www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma