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FirstBank Partners with CDC/BII to Support Women and Small Business Owners with a US$100 million Credit Facility
Facility to strengthen FirstBank’s commitment to gender financing with US$30 million targeted to women-owned and led businesses
Partnership will enhance funding to local SMEs to boost growth and promote financial and social inclusion across Nigeria
The facility adds US$100 million to CDC/BII’s contribution to the 2XChallenge
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced its partnership with CDC Group, the UK Government’s development finance institution on a US$100 million finance facility to FirstBank. This new facility will direct funding to women-owned and led businesses as well as to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.
The deal will support FirstBank to deliver financial solutions that help to address the challenge of limited access to capital faced by underbanked and underserved groups in the country. As part of the new facility, a minimum of US$30 million will be allocated in the form of credit lines to women entrepreneurs. The facility will also support FirstBank’s ‘FirstGem’ gender-focused services offering, which takes steps to promote gender inclusion by improving lending and support to female entrepreneurs.
The new partnership between CDC, which will be renamed British International Investment in April, and FirstBank demonstrates a shared mission to spur sustainable, productive and inclusive growth in Nigeria.
CDC’s commitment will facilitate an expanded offer by FirstBank to its clientele, which will accelerate financial inclusion and increase opportunities for marginalised groups, including an estimated 59 million unbanked Nigerians, to participate in the country’s formal economy. As such, the partnership will capitalise on the FirstBank’s expansive network of over 700 branches and 150,000+ agents, leveraging its market leading expertise to scale financial solutions to underbanked entrepreneurs and populations.
In addition, CDC/BII will support FirstBank with a technical assistance programme which will build on the Bank’s knowledge base of the women-led and women-owned businesses in its portfolio, strengthening the Bank’s technical capabilities and ability to reinforce its commitment to gender-based initiatives. This will enable the Bank to further leverage the facility to provide vital funding to scale business growth across Nigeria’s market – increasing job creation and improving livelihoods throughout the country.
The facility’s target to increase financial inclusion and opportunities for women, qualifies this facility under the 2x Challenge – a commitment by the development finance institutions (DFIs) of the G7 to mobilise capital to support increased economic empowerment for women in emerging economies. Moreover, the US$100 million commitment aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5 Gender Equality and Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Nick O’Donohoe, Chief Executive of CDC Group, said: “Promoting financial inclusion is a key component for advancing sweeping productive and sustainable growth across both rural and urban areas in Nigeria. This facility will channel CDC’s flexible and long-term capital toward expanding the financial solutions made available to women entrepreneurs, who are often the drivers of small business ideas and services to their communities.
“Our commitment demonstrates a deepening of British partnership with Nigeria’s businesses, as we collaborate to unlock the potential for entrepreneurial success and economic growth across the country.”
Adesola Adeduntan, Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank said: “Beyond the mutual benefits this partnership offers to both organisations, this transaction offers yet, another occasion for FirstBank to contribute immensely, to the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.
“Enabling financial inclusion for SMEs has been a strategic priority for FirstBank over the last 128 years. Similarly, FirstBank has been at the forefront of financially empowering women-owned and women-led businesses on the continent. This partnership with CDC/BII offers a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the momentum.
“At FirstBank, we remain ever committed to fostering financial inclusion, creating wealth for the underserved, enhancing access to quality education and health care, improving lives and empowering women.”
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GTCO Plc Releases 2025 Full Year Audited Result …Declares Another Record Dividend of 12.76k;
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Re-affirming Unrivalled Capacity to Creating Value₦ Lagos, London – 31st March 2026Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has released its Audited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE).The Group reported profit before tax of 1.23trillion underpinned by strong growth in core earnings, with interest₦ income and fee income increasing y-o-y by 23.2% and 25.9%, respectively. The performance reaffirms its capacity to generate sustainable earnings and builds on the momentum from 2024, when GTCO delivered a record profit of 1.27trillion, driven in part by 517.5billion in fair value gains, which did not recur in 2025.₦ ₦The Group’s 2025 profit after tax came in at 865.75billion against 1.02trillion recorded in 2024. The profit after tax₦ ₦ reflects the impact of recent fiscal policy adjustments to the taxation of investment securities, notably withholding tax on short-term instruments. However, when normalised for this effect, underlying earnings remain robust, driven by growth in core operating income. The Group continues to maintain a well-structured, healthy, and diversified balance sheet in all the jurisdictions wherein it operates a Banking franchise, as well as across its Payments, Pension and Funds Management business verticals. Total assets and shareholders’ funds closed at 1₦ 7.8trillion and 3.₦ 4trillion, respectively. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very robust and strong, closing at 43.8%, likewise asset quality improved as evidenced by IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans which closed at 3.4% and 5.0% at Bank and Group level in FY-2025 (Bank, 3.5%, and Group, 5.2% in December 2024). Cost of Risk (COR) also improved to 2.2% from 4.9% in December 2024. In specific terms, the Group’s loan book (net) grew by 12.4% from 2.79trillion as of December 2024 to₦ 3.13trillion in December 2025. Similarly, deposit liabilities grew by 23.8% from 10.40trillion to 12.87trillion during₦ ₦ ₦ the same period.Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said: “Our 2025 result underscores the resilience and depth of our earnings capacity. Following a record 2024, which included significant fair value gains, our focus has been on strengthening the sustainability of our earnings by driving growth across our core banking and ecosystem businesses. The strength of our underlying earnings, despite a stronger Naira and tighter regulatory parameters, reflects the quality of our franchise and the discipline with which we execute our strategy. Importantly, this strong core earnings performance underpins our capacity to sustain and grow shareholder returns. Our record dividend payout this year is not only a reflection of our current profitability but also of our confidence in the Group’s long-term earnings potential. Looking ahead, we remain focused on scaling our ecosystem, driving innovation across our financial services platform, and delivering consistent, high-quality earnings that support superior value creation for our shareholders.”Overall, the Group continues to post one of the best metrics in the Nigerian Financial Services Industry in terms of key financial ratios i.e., Post-Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) of 28.3%, Post-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 5.3%, Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 43.8% and Cost to Income Ratio of 27.9%.Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc is a leading financial services group with operations across Africa and the United Kingdom. Renowned for its strong corporate governance, innovative financial solutions, and customer-centric approach, the Group provides a wide range of banking and non-banking services including payments, funds management, and pension fund administration. GTCO Plc is committed to delivering long-term value to stakeholders while driving growth and development across its markets.
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Zenith Bank and Ford Foundation Honour Unsung ‘Sheroes’ with Inaugural Woman of Power Award
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On Saturday, March 28 2026, Zenith Bank held the climax of its month-long activities to commemorate March as women’s month. The event which held at The Civic Centre, was the second of such activity at the Centre, having held the International Women Day Seminar on the 9th of March, 2026. The event was to honour and give awards to exceptional women who have shown resilience in their communities with heir vocation impacting lives sustainably.Speakers after speakers eulogized Zenith Bank for its people-centred activities and appreciated the Ford Foundation for identifying the Bank as a worthy partner in its push to support women in their peculiar cultural and economic conditions across the world.Themed “Celebrating Resilience, Leadership, and Generosity” the award recognised 19 women who were selected from the six geo-political zones in trade, petty manufacturing, education, and agriculture. These women demonstrated extraordinary strength, leadership, and impact despite the significant challenges posed by the difficult economic situation in the country.According to the organisers, the initiative provided a platform to showcase unsung “Sheroes” — everyday women who are making meaningful contributions in their communities and fields. These include market women, small-scale business owners, community leaders, educators, healthcare workers, and many others whose vital roles often go unnoticed.The sponsors of the event noted that each awardee exhibited excellence in several key areas, including leadership and initiative, community impact, innovativeness and resourcefulness, perseverance, integrity, community trust, and philanthropy.Among those honoured were: Mrs Regina Amankulor, a retired nurse empowering young people in Umuode-Nsulu community, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia State; Mary Matanmi, Coordinator of the Nigeria Association of Hairdressers, Barbers and Cosmetologists, Lagos State chapter; Ifeanyi P. Ugwueze, a Guidance Counsellor and Life Coach who continues to thrive despite blindness and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree.
Others include: Amina Musa, a trade educator based in Karonmajiji, AMAC, Abuja; Adenike A. Lambo, the Iyaloja of Ilorin; Sadiya Abubakar, an educator in Jibi (Deidei), Bwari Area Council, FCT; Erikan Idem Andrew, a market woman with significant community impact in Port Harcourt; Ngozi B. Nwankpa, an Aba-based fashion designer; Hadiza Umar, a Development Specialist based in Kaduna, Kaduna State; Joy C. Ezenwa (aka Mama Amala), a trader at Sabon Gari Market, Kano; Shola Esther Babalola (Mama Sho), promoter of natural honey and founder of the Mama Sho Honey brand in Lagos; Josephine Ugwu, a staff member of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), honoured for her honesty in recovering and returning millions of naira mistakenly dropped by passengers at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. And many others.In her keynote address, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, who was represented by Executive Director, Adobi Nwapa, praised the awardees and reaffirmed the bank’s strong commitment to women’s empowerment. She noted that “Zenith Bank’s commitment to gender inclusion is not a rhetoric but one of the ethos that the bank holds very dearly”. In her words, she also said, “Zenith Bank has a 50-50 gender ratio with women occupying strategic positions in the bank’s management and Board up to the current Group Managing Director being the very first female to hold that position.The Regional Director of the Ford Foundation, Dr Chichi Aniagolu, described the Woman of Power Award as an eye-opener, noting that her team’s journey across the country revealed the vast and often overlooked facets of human potential among Nigerian women.Both the Ford Foundation and Zenith Bank Plc have pledged to sustain and grow the initiative in the coming years.Zenith Bank used the forum to notify the women of their various women-targeted products and initiatives, including the Z-Woman initiative, and the Bank’s 19-year sole sponsorship of the NBBF Women’s Basketball League; thus, further highlighting its position at the forefront of women empowerment and economic inclusion across the country.
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ZENITH BANK APPOINTS KENNEDY OKWUDILI AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Zenith Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Kennedy Onuwa Okwudili as an Executive Director of the bank effective May 1, 2026. The appointment, which is consistent with the bank’s tradition and succession strategy of grooming leaders from within, will further strengthen the bank’s Executive Management.Mr. Okwudili graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Accounting in 1998 from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, with a Second Class Upper division. He obtained a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria in 2008 and a Masters of Science in Accounting from Veritas University, Abuja, Nigeria in 2021.Mr. Okwudili has over twenty-five years of cognate banking experience spanning credit and marketing, treasury, compliance as well as operations and had at different times worked in various zones and departments of the bank. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), 2013, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), 2024 and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), 2016. He has attended several Executive Education Programmes both within and outside the country, including: Senior Leadership Development Programme at the Lagos Business School, Corporate Directorship Programme at the Harvard Business School and Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme at the University of Oxford, SAID Business School.He is currently the President of Catholic Bankers Association of Nigeria (CBAN) and a member of the Noble Order of the Knights of St. John International (KSJI).
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