Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Afrexim Bank, presenting the *Financial Institution of the Year* award won by First Bank of Nigeria Limited to Victor Yaw Asante, MD of FBNBank Ghana representing CEO, FirstBank Group at the Afreximbank Pan African Business and Development Awards 2023 in Accra Ghana.
- The award was bestowed on FirstBank in recognition of the Bank’s role in promoting trade and investment endeavours across the continent.
- With its subsidiaries across the FirstBank Group, FirstBank has continued to play a leading role in boosting cross-border businesses, including trade and investment opportunities, essential to enhancing trade relations amongst countries.
- In 2021, the Bank launched its First Global Transfer (FGT) initiative, specifically designed to ensure safe, timely and improved efficiency in the transfer of funds across the network of FirstBank subsidiaries in Africa.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier banking institution and leading financial inclusion
services provider, has won the Financial Institution of the Year Award at the African Export-
Import Bank (Afreximbank) Pan African Business and Development Awards. The ceremony
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), in Accra,
Ghana.
The award bestowed on FirstBank is in recognition of the Bank 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.
Amongst its role in facilitating transactions across borders, in 2021, the Bank launched its First
Global Transfer (FGT) initiative, specifically designed to ensure safe, timely and improved
efficiency in the transfer of funds across the network of FirstBank subsidiaries in Africa. The
FGT is not restricted to FirstBank Group’s Customers alone but it is also open to every
individual resident in the country the funds transfer is originating from.
Speaking on the awards, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, FirstBank said: “We thank the
organisers of the event (Afreximbank, BCA) for the recognition as it reinforces our 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’’ he concluded.
Also commenting on the awards, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board,
who has been at the Bank for over 29 years said: “Tonight we are recognising 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.”
In recognising these leaders and institutions, Arnold Ekpe, chair of the BCA and former Group
CEO of Ecobank, said: “Too often our 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.”
FirstBank has consistently been recognised by reputable global organisations for its steady
outstanding performance and amongst the streak of recent wins is the award for Best Financial
Inclusion Service Provider Nigeria 2023 by Digital Banker Africa as well as Best Private Bank for
Sustainable Investing in Africa by Global Finance.
