Access Bank emerges Africa’s Most Sustainable Bank

Access Bank Plc has been honoured with the ‘Best Bank Nigeria’, ‘Best Private Bank Nigeria’, and Pan-African ‘Sustainability Award’ during the 2021 EMEA Finance African Banking Awards.

Commenting on the awards, GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, said, “We, at Access Bank, are dedicated to setting the bar for responsible business practices, demonstrating corporate brand commitment to tackling social, economic, and environmental challenges as part of our relentless endeavor to offer more than banking. This, combined with our vision of becoming the world’s most respected African Bank, has led us to take the lead in promoting sustainable banking practices, financial inclusion, and the diversification of our local economies through altruistic CSR initiatives that have impacted the lives of many people,”

“Today, we are one step closer to that vision, and we are honoured to have received these awards as we continue to work towards offering value to all our stakeholders,” he affirmed.

In keeping with its ethos of advancing catalytic opportunities to deliver financing for sustainable development by advocating for approaches such as blended finance and green investment, Access Bank issued Africa’s first Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) certified corporate green bond ($41 million). The landmark issue, earmarked as an instrument to support the transition to a low carbon economy, also served as the first green bond cross-listed between the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Luxembourg Green Exchange.

Notably, the bank stands tall as the first Sustainability Certified African Commercial Bank, achieving the highest level of sustainability certification under the Sustainability Standards and Certification Initiative (SSCI) program. This is a further affirmation of the bank’s leadership in sustainability, demonstrating the bank’s strong commitment to influencing positive market transformation.

Additionally, Access Bank is the only African bank to be recognised as qualified for the 2X Challenge, an initiative founded by the G7 Development Finance Institutions, because of its continued commitment to mobilizing investments that advance women’s economic empowerment. Through its W Power Loan, Access Bank has disbursed over $30 million to more than 1,303 women for asset acquisition, infrastructure upgrades, and working capital for their businesses.

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.