Category: Money

Coronation Merchant Bank Limited has announced the appointment of Banjo Adegbohungbe as the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of the bank.

Announcing the appointment, Coronation Merchant Bank Chairman, Babatunde Folawiyo stated: “During his time with us, Banjo has distinguished himself in service to the organisation and contributed immensely to the overall growth of the bank. I am confident his appointment will further strengthen and position the bank for improved performance”

Banjo was the Executive Director (ED)  Compliance, Operations, Information Technology, Digital Channels and Administrative Division.

He began his career at Citibank Nigeria (formerly Nigeria International Bank Limited) and rose through the ranks to become an Assistant General Manager (AGM), Trade Operations – a position he held before joining Access Bank in March 2007 as a Deputy General Manager (DGM).

At Access Bank, he served as Group Head, Global Trade; Group Head, Global Payments and Group Head, Corporate Operations. In 2011, he was promoted to General Manager before eventually joining Coronation Merchant Bank last year as Executive Director (ED).

He is a seasoned banker with over 26 years of banking experience, covering Technology, Payments, International Trade, Fixed Income, Loans, Process Improvement and Product Management.

He holds an MBA from the International Institute for Management (IMD), Switzerland and is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife where he earned a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering.

He is an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) and has also attended several executive management and banking specific developmental programmes in leading educational institutions.

To   boost sports growth and development, nation building and the economy, FirstBank of Nigeria Limited has announced its sponsorship of the Georgian Cup of the Kaduna Polo Tournament for the 100th consecutive year.

The championship, which started October 12, ends on October 20 at the Kaduna Polo Club, Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna.

The Kaduna Georgian Cup Centenary Polo Tournament started in 1919, with FirstBank sponsoring the sports tournament for 100 years.

The Cup, donated by the bank to the Kaduna Polo Club, is the oldest and most respected trophy in West Africa.

Last year, the tournament was won by team El-Amin, also billed to participate in this edition , contested by other teams; Rubicon, Imani, Malcomines, Lintex Agad. A total of 45 teams are billed for the tournament.

Kaduna Polo Club Presiden, Alhaji Suleman Abubakar said: “The Georgian Cup Polo Tournament is indeed the Premier Polo Tournament in the country and it has proudly birthed many other sporting events across the country as well as the West African sub region as a whole. We are honoured to record such a milestone with FirstBank since the inception of the tournament 100 years ago.’’

The Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Folake Ani-Mumuney, added: “2019 is indeed an eventful year for us and one of the many highpoints since we were founded 125 years ago. Part of our excitement stems from the pride we feel at having supported the Georgian Cup Polo Tournament for 100 years consistently.

“We are indeed proud to achieve this feat as it reinforces our leadership role as an institution committed to the continued growth and development of sports and the economy at large. The Georgian Cup Polo Tournament is one of the many heritage sporting sponsorships supported by FirstBank over the years. Another example is the FirstBank 58th Lagos Amateur Golf Open tournament, in partnership with Ikoyi Club 1938 holding in November this year which we have also supported for 57 years. We dare say perhaps another record in sports sponsorship”.

FBNQuest has reinforced its commitment to empowering women in collaboration with She Leads Africa (SLA), a community for young African women looking to build successful careers and businesses, as it supported the popular ‘SLAY Festival’ event which took place in Lagos on the 28th of September, 2019.

This third edition of the SLAY Festival featured mentorship and interactive experiences that cut across business, investment, career, technology, arts, beauty, fashion, food, wellness, community and music.  Since the inception of the Festival, over 4,000 women have been brought together to learn new skills, build their networks and connect with their favourite brands.

Commenting on the alliance, Lolade Sasore, Head of Communications and Knowledge Engagement at FBNQuest stated, “We believe strategic partnerships are an important tool for achieving real impact, and we are committed to collaborating with reputable organisations to deliver wider and more sustainable results across our different businesses”.

Read Also: United Capital reiterates commitment to customers

Co-founder, She Leads Africa, Afua Osei said “Through our partnership with FBNQuest, we are are sharing knowledge and opportunities to connect to the financial solutions many women are looking for as they grow in their careers and businesses. We would like to support our community in building long term wealth, which is why the training sessions on investing and estate planning, have been so successful. Our partnership with FBNQuest, has been a great collaboration and we look forward to sharing more financial services knowledge with our community.”

By Taofik Salako, Capital Market Editor

United Capital Plc has reiterated its commitment to continuously ensure that its service delivery remains a magical experience for its customers.

In a statement commemorating the customer services week, United Capital stated that great customer service is an integral part of its brand promise to customers and it is constantly re-engineering its processes to focus on efficiency and prompt service delivery in the investment banking space.

Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Plc, Mr. Peter Ashade, said customer service week provides a unique opportunity to showcase gratitude to esteemed customers for their continued patronage which has contributed to the sustained growth and development of the company.

Read Also: United Capital unveils InvestNow on iOS

“Our focus remains unchangeable to our customers which is, to continuously build and improve on our service delivery ensuring a magical experience at every touch point. We aim to quickly and accurately resolve client issues and provide great service and support, while bringing about the magic of service to the fore,” Ashade said.

He noted that United Capital as a leading financial services group in Africa is focused on leveraging technology to empower businesses, individuals and governments with excellent financial services while contributing to economic growth and prosperity across Africa by supporting financial inclusion.

Collins Nweze

AFRICAN Export Import Bank (AFREXIM) says it has created trade financing programmes to facilitate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in the manufacturing sector in Nigeria.

President AFREXIM Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, disclosed this at the second Annual General Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria – Export Promotion Group (MANEG) in Lagos. It will be recalled that Nigeria recently signed AfCFTA agreement after months of foot dragging.

The MAN event was titled “Leveraging On The African Continental Free Trade Agreement for Export Expansion in Nigeria’s Manufacturing Sector”.

President of AFREXIM,  Oramah was represented by Mrs Kanayo Awane, Managing Director, Intra Africa Trade Initiative. Speaking on behalf of Oramah Kanayo said the policies were borne out of the need to upscale the Nigeria’s manufacturing sector in the intra African trade arena.

Collins Nweze

ACCESS Bank Plc has partnered with Star Lager Beer to unveil ‘Access The Stars’. The scheme will enable the firms to discover new music talents across the country.  It will also give exceptional Nigerians the chance to be refined, and empowered to reach superstar status in the music industry.

In addition to the fame of winning the hunt, the sponsors will give monetary awards of up to N150 million, to the winners of the hunt which will kick off this this month.

Speaking on the initiative, Access Bank Managing Director/CEO , Herbert Wigwe stated that Access The Stars is borne out of the desire of both brands to continue to connect with people through the one platform they both have in common which is music. “Both our brands share a long history of creating excellent musical experiences for not just own customers, but the wider Nigerian audience, and this is us expanding on that,’’ he said.

Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Breweries,  Jordi Bel, said; “we have done this before, but this time, we want to bring something new and more entertaining to our consumers, where they not only enjoy good music, but get the opportunity to have their own voices and music showcased to the rest of the world. We are really excited about this”.

Access The Stars comes from the desire of both brands to continue to connect with people through the one platform they both have in common – music. Access Bank and Star Lager Beer share a long history of creating excellent music experiences for not just their consumers, but for the wider Nigerian audience.

Star Lager Beer is a well-known name in the Nigerian music scene, with hit concerts like Star Music – The Trek, Star Mega Jam, and famous talent show, Star Quest which was a launch pad for the likes of Kcee, DJ Switch and many more. With their concerts, the brand took stars around the country and gave them the platform to entertain fans in different cities.

Collins Nweze

NIGERIAN youths have been hinted that they will form a large chunk of the 45 million tax payers by December 2019, a target set by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS).

Tax expert,  Agu David highlighted the importance of tax paying to select youths at the Poetry Meets Tax event in Lagos.

His claim was corroborated by President Muhammadu Buhari who informed a joint session of lawmakers on Tuesday during the presentation of the 2020 appropriation bill, that the budget will be funded partly through value added tax.

Agu reiterated the need for Nigerian youths to understand what the concept of tax is all about and despite it being statutory, plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country.

Collins Nweze

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has said it will continue to invest in the Nigeria economy and provide quality services to its passengers.

The airline, which has cerebrated its 100th anniversary, said it was dedicated to Nigerian operation, and has carried over 400,000 passengers between Nigeria, Amsterdam and Paris.

Speaking on the anniverssary at a meeting in Lagos, KLM General Manager, Nigeria/Ghana, Michel Colleau, said there was need to make aviation more sustainable.

He said the compnay wants to support Nigeria’s economic growth by increasing the airline’s capacity between Lagos and Amsterdam.

Colleau said the company was making massive contributions to the oil and gas sector as well as the agricultural sector, an indication of its commitment to the Nigerian economy.

“We are committed to Nigeria’s economic development and also taking steps that would help the people to develop,” he said.

Also speaking,  Executive Vice President, Flight Operations, Vincent Van Hoof, said KLM’s quality services and commitment to customers have helped the ariline to thrive in the industry.

He said the company has cosistsently delivered on its promise of quality services and safety  to passengers as well as support to the economies of countries where it operates.

Commercial Director, Nigeria & Ghana, Remco Bohre, said the company will continue to invest and support Nigeria’s economy and its people.

This auspicious occasion was celebrated with a spectacular event, attended by the Minister of Finance, Wopke Hoesktra. He, along with customers, partners, Air France-KLM executives, and staff from various divisions, looked back on 100 years of KLM history and forward to a sustainable future.

KLM President & CEO, Pieter Elbers, said the fact that the compnay is celebrating its 100th anniversary is not just testimony to a century of successful enterprise, innovation, and commerce, but also to the faith that customers and partners have in KLM.

Also, Hangar 10 was the backdrop to the “KLM Experience”, where guests were treated to an impressive overview of KLM’s past, present and future. This included an in-depth look at KLM’s development over the decades and the role it played in international civil aviation.

Collins Nweze

THE Chief Executive Officer of RED | For Africa, Adebola Williams was one of the global decision makers to discuss African Leadership at the  Choiseul Africa Business Forum in France.

Held yearly at the heart of the French Riviera, Choiseul Africa Business Forum is a key event dedicated to investment and business opportunities in Africa and with Africa.

Williams spoke alongside other global leaders among whom are Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, Rania Al Mashat; BUA CEO, Kabir Samad; ORASCOM CEO, Naguib Sawarisamong other global decision-makers, who also spoke at the event.

Williams also featured as a panelist for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland on October 8.

Themed ‘Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World,’ the the event offered a platform to discuss the role of the next generation in shaping the future of the global trading system to meet their hopes and expectations.

Williams emphasized the role of partnerships and cross-fertilization of ideas and opportunities across continents.

“It is becoming increasingly important for our global preservation that leaders and decision-makers across the world come together to take advantage of under-exploited synergies and analyze new areas of partnership for the benefit of shared growth,” Williams said.

“Both forums were extremely insightful and I am looking forward to the implementation of our discussions over the next couple of years,” he added.

Adebola Williams is the co-founder of RED | For Africa, the continent’s largest portfolio of media brands engaging the youth. He is a Mandela Washington Fellow; a World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader and was named among the United Nations 100 Most Influential Persons of African Descent.

Taofik Salako, Capital Market Editor

VERVE, a leading payments technology and card business in Africa established by Interswitch Group in 2009, rewards its customers as it celebrates 10 years of breaking boundaries.

The celebration kicked off officially on Friday, September 27, saw partner banks, regulators and other stakeholders come together for the noteworthy milestone, paved way for a series of activities to celebrate with customers.

In his keynote address, Mike Ogbalu III, CEO Verve International revealed that Verve owes its success story to its customers, partners, the press and other stakeholders.

He said: “ We are 10 today and we have a lot of people to thank for our journey so far – our partner the banks, our cardholders, the press, regulators, the Verve business & marketing team, other stakeholders,…Thank you for keeping the Verve dream alive, thank you for your resilience and thank you for always raising the bar.”

To appreciate its customers for their support, the brand is rewarding them across several of its touchpoints. One of such exciting customer reward initiatives is the Verve Free Toll activation: For 10days, Verve will give free toll passage from 10am to 10.10am.