By Business A.M.
Nigeria’s premier banking institution, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has won the Financial Institution of the Year Award at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Pan African Business and Development Awards.
A statement by the leading financial inclusion services provider, said the award is in recognition of the bank’s position as an epitome of the Pan-African spirit through its leading role in promoting trade and investment across the continent which have been instrumental to strengthening the economic and multilateral business relationship across nations.
The ceremony, held in Accra, Ghana, marked the 30th anniversary of Afreximbank as it hosted the inaugural Pan-African Business and Development Awards in association with the Business Council for Africa (BCA).
Speaking on the awards, Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, FirstBank thanked the organisers of the event for the recognition, saying it reinforces the bank’s commitment to promoting trade, finance and investment opportunities across borders which have been instrumental to the continued growth and development of the continent and the world.
On behalf of the Board and Management, this award is dedicated to all employees at the FirstBank Group for their diligence and hardwork as well as to our esteemed customers for their loyalty and patronage in over 129 years of existence,’’ Adeduntan concluded.
Also commenting on the awards, Benedict Oramah, president and chairman of the board, said the event was in recognition of outstanding leaders and institutions.
“Having joined the Bank in 1994, I have been fortunate to have worked with many of them… At Afreximbank, contributing to Africa’s development is a lifetime vocation,as I know it is for all those that we have recognised tonight,” he said.
In recognising the leaders and institutions, Arnold Ekpe, chair of the BCA and former Group CEO of Ecobank, observed that too often, (African) business leaders do not get the praise they deserve.
“Succeeding in business on the continent is not always easy, but it is rewarding and more importantly it is possible to build strong, profitable businesses that are globally competitive. Our winners tonight have demonstrated this,” Ekpe said.
