Access Bank has been declared the best in Corporate Citizenship in Nigeria in the first ever competitive index on corporate social responsibility in Nigeria by CSR-in-Action, a registered social enterprise devoted to the advancement of social ethics, social responsibility and corporate governance in Nigeria.
In the Corporate Citizenship Index (3C-index) released recently, a total of 117 private sector companies ranked in the report, using six pillars: human right, anti-corruption, community investment, economic, labour and reporting, to reflect how companies are functioning in these areas of development.
On a scale of 100, Access Bank scored 83.3 per cent on Millennium Development Goals focus areas to emerge as the best Nigerian organisation in Corporate Citizenship. To emerge the best company, Access Bank outperformed Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), Exxon Mobil, GT Bank and Procter and Gamble (P&G) in the top-five category.
CSR-in-Action noted that it is no surprise that Access Bank scored in the highest in targeted community investment, especially on MDG focus areas with a score of 83.3 per cent, a comment which is a tacit acknowledgement of the Bank’s pioneering role in Sustainability on the African continent.
Speaking on the ranking, Access Bank’s Chief Executive, Herbert Wigwe said: “We have set for ourselves the ambitious target of becoming the world’s most respected African Bank. That means making sure that sustainability is part of everything we do; that it is in our very DNA. I am honoured that we have been named best organisation in Nigeria for corporate citizenship and want to thank everyone at Access Bank who has helped us to get this far. This ranking will spur us on to work even harder to lead the efforts aimed at building strong and sustainable institutions across Africa. ”
Access Bank has earned recognitions for its roles in championing sustainability and responsible business practices in Nigeria and across Africa. Over the past 7 years, the Bank has built a strong franchise by adhering to socially responsible goals and continuously displayed a strong commitment to global health issues by leveraging its people and financial resources to invest in successful health programmes in Nigeria and other African countries.
The Bank has earned numerous recognitions for its commitment to adoption and implementation of responsible business practice. Notable among these recognitions and awards are the FT/IFC “Sustainable Bank of the Year Award” for Africa and Middle East region, African Banker Magazine’s “Most Socially Responsible Bank” Award and the Business in Community “Big Tick Award” it won back-to-back.
Analysts have commended CSR-in-Action for deploying a painstaking process in assessing corporate social responsibility activities of corporate organisations in Nigeria, noting that the Corporate Citizenship Index presents Nigerians with a compendium on CSR performance of Nigerian companies.
