Banking
Goldberg Beer Village Boosts Commerce In Osun
The indigenes of Osun State and visitors to the ongoing Osun Osogbo festival have expressed excitement and appreciation to Goldberg Lager Beer for unveiling the Goldberg Beer Village, an initiative that enhances trade and commerce in the ancient city.
The people commended the beer brand at the Ogo-Oluwa area, venue of the Goldberg Beer Village on Tuesday during the official unveiling by the Ataoja of Osogboland, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye II and the Goldberg brand team.
The Baale Elese of Osogboland, Adebayo Moshood, who represented the royal father at the event, showered prayers on the Goldberg team and Nigerian Breweries Plc for setting up a beer village in the town because the initiative would increase and promote socio-cultural activities during the entire period of the Osun Osogbo Festival. He lauded the brand for championing befitting societal and cultural causes of the people.
In his welcome address, Joseph Abodunrin, Regional Business Manager, Ibadan, Nigerian Breweries Plc, gave thanks to the Ataoja, his chiefs and indigenes of Osogboland for their support and for coming out en-masse to witness the unveiling of the beer village. In his words: “the Osun-Osogbo Festival is an age-long traditional festival that must be honoured and celebrated and as the official Beer Sponsor, we want the state to be better culturally by giving it life, excitement and pleasurable moments during this period.” He therefore assured the people present at the event that the beer village and the 15-Day Beer Carnival will deliver enormous economic, social and cultural benefits for the ancient city, the state and the nation as a whole.
Ms Kunbi Ogunjobi, one of the local beer retailers at the event, said Goldberg has indeed enabled the inflow of money that would enhance her business expansion. She stated: “I am already seeing the signs of profit in all business activities that will happen here during this festival because I am recording high sales already.” She commended Goldberg for providing the platform, which many promoters of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) would enormously benefit from during the period of the Osun Osogbo festival.
Visitors to the beer village had a great time as they were thrilled to comical, dramatic and musical performances from live band of Fuji artistes and game shows involving raffle draws where customers who swarmed the village and purchased Goldberg won various gift items such as generating sets, Plasma TV, Kegs of vegetable oil and bags of rice, courtesy of the brand. The venue also provided art sculptors the opportunity to exhibit their craft to the delight of everyone present.
For the third year running, Goldberg, a brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries is supporting the Osun Osogbo festival as the official BEER SPONSOR in the beer category.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To strengthen Europe-Africa trade ties, Access Bank has opened a new branch in Malta. It will focus on international trade finance, employing approximately 30 people in its initial phase, with plans for controlled expansion over time.
It was learned that this Maltese branch was established by Access Bank UK Limited, the subsidiary of Access Bank Plc, which is also the subsidiary of Access Holdings Plc, which is listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
Access Bank Malta Limited commenced operations after obtaining a banking licence from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA).
Access Bank said the licence marks a transformative milestone in bolstering Europe-Africa trade flows.
Malta, a renowned international financial centre, and a gateway between the two continents, is strategically positioned to play a pivotal role in advancing commerce and fostering economic partnerships.
This strategic expansion into Malta enables The Access Bank UK Limited to leverage growing trade opportunities between Europe and Africa.
It underscores the organisation’s commitment to driving global trade, financial integration, and supporting businesses across these regions.
“By establishing operations in Malta, we will gain a foothold in a market that bridges European and North African economies, moving us one step closer to our goal of becoming Africa’s Gateway to the World.
“It further enhances our bank’s capacity to support clients with innovative solutions tailored to cross-border trade and investment opportunities,” the chief executive of Access Bank, Mr Roosevelt Ogbonna, stated.
“Europe has emerged as Africa’s leading trading partner, driven by initiatives such as the Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African regions and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“With Europe-Africa economic relations entering a new phase, The Access Bank Malta Limited is ideally positioned to deepen trade and meet the financing and banking needs of our clients in these expanding markets,” the chief executive of Access Bank UK, Mr Jamie Simmonds, commented.
Also speaking, the chief executive of Access Bank Malta, Renald Theuma, said, “Malta is uniquely positioned as a bridge between Europe and Africa, making it an ideal location for our subsidiary. This move allows The Access Bank Malta Limited to engage more closely with customers in Europe and deliver tailored financial solutions that drive growth and connectivity across both continents.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Goldman Sachs have announced a new partnership with African banks, including Nigeria’s Zenith Bank and Stanbic IBTC Nigeria to support the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative, a joint programme launched in 2008 to provide access to capital and training for women entrepreneurs globally.
The two Nigerian banks are part of nine financial institutions from across Africa which have agreed to join the 10,000 Women initiative committing to leverage the business education and skills tools the programme provides to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs across the continent by providing access to business education.
Others banks include Stanbic Bank Kenya, Ecobank Kenya, Ecobank Cote d’Ivoire, Equity Bank Group, Banco Millenium Atlantico – Angola, Baobab Group, and Orange Bank.
Speaking on this, Ms Charlotte Keenan, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs said – “10,000 Women has had a powerful impact to date, but we know that there are more women to reach and more potential to be realized.
“We are delighted to partner with IFC to supercharge the growth of women-owned businesses across Africa, and mainstream lending to female business leaders. We remain committed to supporting entrepreneurs with the access to education and capital that they need to scale.”
Since 2008, the 10,000 Women initiative has provided access to capital and business training to more than 200,000 women in 150 countries.
“This expanded initiative marks a significant step forward in creating equitable economic opportunities for women in Africa, enabling them to build stronger, more resilient businesses and to realize their entrepreneurial goals,” said Ms Nathalie Kouassi Akon, IFC’s Global Director for Gender and Economic Inclusion.
Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women initiative complements the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility (WEOF), launched in 2014 by Goldman Sachs and IFC as the first-of-its-kind global facility dedicated to expanding access to capital for women entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
In recognition of its unwavering commitment to fostering access to financing for Nigerian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Development Bank of Nigeria Plc has been rewarded with the Financial Inclusion Leadership Award at the Champions of Inclusion Nigeria Financial Inclusion Awards.
This was at the 2024 International Financial Inclusion Conference (IFIC) organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the World Bank and other stakeholders.
The chief executive of the lender, Mr Tony Okpanachi, said the recognition affirms the company’s efforts in expanding access to financial services for MSMEs in Nigeria.
“We are honoured to receive the Financial Inclusion Leadership Award, which is a testament to our bank’s commitment to expanding access to financial services for all Nigerians. This award recognises our efforts to bridge the financial inclusion gap, particularly for a priority sector like the MSMEs.
“Additionally, this award is a validation of our strategic focus on driving financial inclusion for small businesses, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this initiative that drives that. We will continue to innovate and expand our financial inclusion programmes, ensuring that more Nigerian small and startup businesses have access to services,” he stated.
On his part, the Chief Operating Officer of DBN, Mr Bonaventure Okhaimo, said the accolade demonstrates the firm’s dedication to driving financial inclusion and economic growth in Nigeria.
“This award acknowledges our Bank’s innovative approach to widening opportunities for MSMEs in Nigeria to grow and scale their businesses,” he said.
“This award will motivate us to continue pushing the boundaries of financial inclusion, exploring more innovative solutions and partnerships to expand our reach and impact.
“We are committed to ensuring that more small businesses and startup enterprises in Nigeria have access to financial services, this award will further inspire us to accelerate our efforts in this regard,” he stated.
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