The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has recognised Ecobank Nigeria’s sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The CBN at its 2018 annual awards for sustainability in Lagos recently, recognised Ecobank’s activities in four categories which included: ‘Sustainability Bank of the Year; Sustainability Bank of the Year – oil and gas; Sustainability Bank of the Year -power sector and the Women Empowerment category – where the the bank was first runner up in all four categories.
According to a statement from the bank, the recognitions were an acknowledgement not only its bank’s efforts at supporting industrial sector development, but also in the development of efficient sustainability programmes for the good of the citizenry.
The CBN Sustainability Awards – a part of the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principle (NSBP) – initiated in 2012, is an award that appreciates the efforts of financial service providers who have been able to successfully integrate social and environmental considerations into their operations, spanning across their processes and strategies.
In his comment, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, said: “It is a deliberate policy of Ecobank Nigeria to embark on sustainable projects that impact people and the environment. Last year we focused on removing plastic waste and other non-biodegradable elements from our streets, and this recorded huge success.
“We engaged young people to gather and bring to us at least one million plastic and glass bottles from homes, offices and drainages; these we bought from them for proper disposure by the authorities.
“This was done over a week period tagged the ‘Ecobank sustainability week’ during which we also organised symposia for secondary school students to create awareness on tackling plastic wastes.
“On the CSR front, in 2018 we constructed boreholes for schools across the country and also embarked on many other CSR activities.”
Further he said, Ecobank was proud of its contributions to the development of the nation’s economy through its support for the oil and gas and power sectors.
“I dedicate the awards to staff and customers of the bank who worked relentlessly towards maintaining high sustainable standards that has earned us the CBN awards.”