The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has officially presented certificate of accreditation to the ultra-modern, state of the art Ecobank Nigeria Academy with a call to other financial institutions in the country seeking accreditation of their training school to emulate Ecobank Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, CIBN President, Uche Olowu said the accreditation of Ecobank Nigeria Academy was based on the report of its Capacity Building and Certification Committee that the training school has met all the parameters of measurement, stressing that it was a manifestation of the importance the Management of the bank place on capacity building of its workforce.

According to him, “As an Institute, we congratulate Ecobank for the accreditation of its Academy. This comes after rigorous accreditation processes by members of our Capacity Building and Certification Committee which showed that Ecobank has complied with and satisfied the provisions and requirements of the Competency framework for the Nigerian Banking Industry as mandated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through CIBN.  The Academy was found to have scored above the minimum threshold on all the parameters of measurement. We firmly believe this accreditation would not only enable Ecobank comply with the provisions of the Competency Framework but also strengthen the intellectual resources and capabilities available in the Bank.”

He disclosed that the Institute has so far accredited 18 bank academies, 20 Educational Training Service Providers (ETSPs) and currently executing linkage agreements with 65 tertiary institutions, stressing that apart from addressing competency challenges and enthroning a minimum standard for practitioners in the industry, it is also furthering its mandate as the sole accreditation agency for the implementation of the Competency Framework in the industry.

Responding, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, said the accreditation of the Academy re-enforces the bank’s commitment to empowering its entire workforce for the Millennial age, stressing that it would further enable the Bank to take up its rightful position in the industry as the Bank of choice.

According to him, ‘I must salute our Human Resources team and my colleagues in the management team for this landmark step. This underscores the importance we attach to staff training, skills development and capacity building as we seek to transform our Bank to deliver value to customers and shareholders. There is no substitute to knowledge. We will continue to upgrade the standard of the Academy to meet with fresh and modern-day industry challenges.”

The Managing Director further explained that Ecobank Nigeria is a member of Pan African bank, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI)  based in Togo which operates in 36 countries in Africa and with representative offices in Paris, Beijing, Dubai, Johannesburg and London, stating specifically that Ecobank Nigeria has made many pioneering achievements and ‘firsts’ across various products and digital platforms in the country.

He specifically commended CIBN for the various initiatives targeted at raising standards, promoting ethics and positioning the financial services industry to meet with the new challenges such as digital banking and financial technology (Fintech), adding that the Institute is also contributing meaningfully towards the economic development of the country through its various activities in African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He reiterated that Ecobank would continue to partner with the Institute in promoting integrity, professionalism, innovation and ethics in the banking and finance industry.

Commenting, Manager, Learning and Development, Ayotunde Opeoluwa,  Ecobank Nigeria, said the accreditation of the Academy is an attestation of the Bank’s commitment to its roadmap to industry leadership goals through people development, stressing that Ecobank will continuously seek improvement in ensuring that its curriculum is dynamic and meet global standards.

Opeoluwa, who is also the Head of the Academy further said  “This is a good news for us as a bank. It reinforces our people centric strategy to equipping our staff with the right skills and competence in line with global practices. Let me use this opportunity to thank our Management for the great support and members of our internal faculty for their dedication toward achieving this milestone. We will continue to seek improvement to maintain industry and global standards.”