First Bank of Nigeria Limited has pervaded nearly every sector as a leading force in impact-making.
This fact was reiterated by an Award earned by the financial inclusion services provider in 2021, for the “Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practices Bank in Nigeria 2021”.
It was received from Global Economics Limited, a UK-based financial publication aimed at providing a detailed performance index of companies around the globe, cutting across various financial and business segments.
Two years earlier, the Bank had received an Award for Excellence at the maiden edition of the Africa Safety (AfriSAFE) for its exemplary advocacy of a healthy and safe environment for workers and all.
As the World Health Day was marked globally on the 7th Day of April 2022, Okay.ng recaps the giant strides made by FirstBank towards the Nigerian health sector.
These impacts are especially drawn from public-private sector-driven initiatives, made to provide succour at the acme of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.
The stark effects of the pandemic no doubt permeated every sphere of the Nigerian sector. As schools got shut down in March 2020, millions of children were forced to remain glued to their homes.
FirstBank saw this as an opportunity to integrate learning into a digital form, and therefore struck a partnership with Roducate and the Lagos State Government.
The aftermath of this synergy was thousands of students successfully signing up for e-learning solutions. In Lagos State alone, the Government had announced on 11th June 2020, that it was in receipt of 20,000 digital devices which were donated to public schools by Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, the bank’s Chief Executive Officer.
Again, FirstBank on 7th December 2020 rolled out the “Mask Up, Stay Safe” initiative. It was a digital campaign launched to advocate conscious protection of oneself and others from the COVID-19 pandemic, through safety-oriented practices. It had earlier extolled healthcare workers in the unrelenting battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Many Nigerians, through their various Profile or Display Pictures, used unique photo messages with the hashtag #FirstBankSalutes in a show of solidarity.
Perhaps one of the most potent contributions of FirstBank was its donation of N1 billion to the Federal Government.
This was in a bid to give them a hand on the deck to combat the COVID-19 menace. The donation was primarily targeted at rapidly expanding health facilities, for testing, isolation and treatment.
In its commitment to making the health sector top-notch, a Health Finance Loan was launched by FirstBank.
It is targeted at registered pharmacies, private hospitals and other health care service providers. It is disbursed at a competitive rate and flexible term. The competitive interest rate presently stands at 18-26%. Also, no collateral is required for a working capital loan.
In 2021, the volume of loans disbursed stood at 238, totalling an amount of N1,531,070,000 (one billion, five hundred and thirty-one million, seventy-thousand Naira).
Okay.ng has learned that a total of N488,050,000 have so far been disbursed this year since January 2022, with 65 beneficiaries. There were 238 customers of this initiative as of 2021, and 65 so far in 2022.
