On a night dedicated to recognising the stellar efforts of corporate organisations and individuals championing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, Nigeria’s leading retail bank, Access Bank, emerged the biggest winners, for the second year running, carting five awards at the Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAs).
The award recognitions which include, the ‘Best Company in Partnership for Development’, ‘Best Company in Climate Action’, ‘Best Company in Sustainability Reporting’, ‘Best Corporate Communications Team Award’ and ‘Most Socially Responsible Company of the Year (Overall Winner)’, are testament to Access Bank’s commitment and efforts in enshrining sustainability in its business operations while contributing to positive development across the various communities it serves.
Receiving the award for the ‘Best Company in Climate Action’, Amaechi Okobi, Group Head, Corporate Communications and External Affairs, Access Bank Plc., said that “Access Bank continues to champion responsible investment in environmental friendly projects. Despite our successes, having issued the first ever CBI certified Green Bond this year, we remain committed to driving Sustainable development locally and globally”.
Access Bank has over the years partnered with several organisations to impact millions of lives and thousands of families. The Bank recently partnered with HACEY Health Initiative to reduce the high mortality rate in the Nigeria.
According to Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Access Bank’s Head of Sustainability, such partnerships hold the key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We are delighted to be recognized as the ‘Best Company in Partnership for Development’ at this year’s Awards. This year, more than ever before, we have partnered third-party stakeholders with appreciable footprint in the various communities we seek to impact, empowering them to create an impact far greater than imagined. This module is one that we will continue to adopt and build upon, as we believe that only by doing this would we be able to achieve and surpass the SDGs by 2030.”
In July 2019, Access Bank become a four-time consecutive winner of the ‘Outstanding Business Sustainability Award’ by the Karlsruhe Sustainable Finance Awards, remaining the only African institution to do so. In August 2019, the Bank was also named the ‘Most Sustainable Bank in Nigeria’ by the World Finance Awards, becoming a 9-time winner of this award.
The annual SERAS CSR Awards Africa, now in its 13th edition, has grown to become the prime corporate awards promoting and measuring corporate social responsibility and sustainability in Africa. Key industry stakeholders rate it as the industry gold standard recognition for impactful investment in CSR and sustainability. It is the biggest event on the CSR & Sustainability calendar in Nigeria and Africa.
