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Keystone Bank partners Google, Facebook on digital marketing for MSMEs

Published

7 years ago

September 17, 2019

In demonstration of its commitment to consistently promote and support the growth and development of the real sector, Keystone Bank Limited has embarked on a series of capacity building training in digital marketing and bookkeeping for its micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) customers across the country.

The first phase of the workshops held in strategic locations in Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Enugu and Onitsha.

The lender said it is part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) aimed at creating a new breed of entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

The sessions provided platforms for over 700 entrepreneurs to look inward, develop and deploy their business skills through practical trainings facilitated by experts and successful business owners.

In Lagos, Benin, Enugu and Onitsha, Keystone Bank in partnership with social media giant, Facebook (Rabbington Media) and Google (Innovation Growth Hub) trained entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals on how to leverage digital social media to achieve their business goals.

The participants, comprising existing and prospective customers of Keystone Bank, were trained on the advantages of internet marketing through the digital social media to achieve business growth.

In Abuja, the bank in partnership with Pundit Book-keeping Services Limited took its MSMEs customers on the importance and benefits of effective book-keeping and taxation.

Executive Director, South & Corporate, Keystone Bank Limited, Mr Yemi Odusanya, said the bank is providing businesses and organisations the opportunity to expand their customer reach by projecting their message on global platforms such as Facebook thereby promoting widespread exposure.

“Globally, SMEs are established drivers of the strongest economies and Nigeria is not taking a back seat. With over 15million SMEs dotting the Nigerian landscape, we are poised to ensure our customers in this segment actively grow their businesses through our partnerships and focused initiatives in the segment, and this is the basis for our strong support of the MSME sector.

“MSMEs are the engines of socio-economic transformation, including industrialisation, as they provide vital platform to enhance technological and entrepreneurial capacity among various segments.

“We are committed to ensuring that our self-employed customers thrive at their various businesses hence we constantly seek ways and means to connect them to the market and ensure they succeed in reaching their customers.

“Giving them a social media presence will aid their appeal to the emerging middle-class customers in Nigeria who will most likely form a larger percentage of their customer base in the near future and are mostly upwardly-mobile youths who connect daily on these platforms at a reassuring rate.

“The capacity building training are available to all Keystone Bank customers who seek a competitive edge to transform their businesses and will be coming to other parts of the country soon.

“Our SME proposition, which is the “Growbiz Account” has three variants that address their cycles of growth from infancy through maturity and stability.

“We are also empowering SMEs through our Agency Banking initiative by signing them up as agents for basic off-site cash-in/cash-out services,” Odusanya explained.

He further stressed that the bank recently re-launched her MSME drive to ensure businesses are well equipped with required knowledge and skills for their growth and survival.

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HabariPay Launches Maiden “HabariPay Impact Report 2025”, Showcasing Its Journey, Business Evolution, and Contributions to Digital Payments

Published

4 days ago

June 11, 2026

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HabariPay Limited, the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”), has unveiled its maiden HabariPay Impact Report 2025, providing stakeholders with a comprehensive account of the company’s evolution, innovation journey, business performance, and impact on the digital payments landscape.The report captures HabariPay’s transformation from a newly established fintech venture into one of Nigeria’s leading payment infrastructure providers, highlighting the milestones, strategic decisions, and investments that have shaped its growth. It showcases the company’s contributions to enabling digital commerce, supporting businesses, strengthening payment infrastructure, and expanding financial access through technology-driven solutions.The HabariPay Impact Report 2025 also highlights the company’s strong financial and operational performance, the growth of the Squad platform, and the development of infrastructure that powers payment acceptance, switching, transfers, merchant services, and value-added solutions. The publication further explores the role of innovation, talent development, and ecosystem partnerships in driving the company’s success.Speaking on the launch of the report, the Managing Director of HabariPay, Eduofon Japhet, said: “As a technology-driven company, we believe that impact extends beyond financial performance. It is reflected in the businesses we enable, the merchants we support, the infrastructure we build, and the opportunities we create for the next generation of innovators. The HabariPay Impact Report 2025 captures this journey and demonstrates our commitment to creating sustainable value for customers, partners, and the broader economy.”She further added: “The HabariPay Impact Report 2025 represents more than a reflection on our achievements; it is a testament to the deliberate investments we have made in building sustainable payment infrastructure, empowering businesses, fostering innovation, and creating long-term value for our stakeholders. As we look ahead, we remain committed to expanding our capabilities, deepening our impact, and shaping the future of digital payments through technology-driven solutions that are secure, scalable, and inclusive.”The report also showcases HabariPay’s investments in innovation through initiatives such as the Take on Squad Hackathon and the Squad Hackademy, both of which are helping to develop future technology talent and accelerate the creation of practical solutions to real-world challenges.Looking ahead, the publication outlines HabariPay’s vision for the future, including continued investment in payment infrastructure, merchant solutions, digital innovation, and intelligent technologies that will shape the future of financial services.
To access the HabariPay Impact Report 2025, please click the below: https://squadco.com/impact-report/About HabariPayHabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations, and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.

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ZENITHBANKPARTNERSLAWMA,LASWATOCOMMEMORATEWORLDENVIRONMENT DAY 2026 WITH TWO-PHASE LAGOS CLEAN-UP

Published

1 week ago

June 5, 2026

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Inlinewithitscommitmenttoenvironmentalsustainabilityandresponsiblebusinesspractices,

ZenithBankPlchascommemoratedthe2026WorldEnvironmentDaywithatwo-phase

environmental clean-up initiative in LagosState, held under theglobal theme “Inspired by Nature.

For Climate. For Our Future.”

The first phase was a morning clean-upconducted by staff of the Bank on Wednesday,3 June

2026, along Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The exercise mobilised employees to

clear waste, sensitise residents on proper disposal practices, and reinforce the Bank’s culture of

community service and environmental stewardship.

Thesecondphase,onThursday,4June2026,featuredawaterwaysclean-upattheFalomo

Waterways, Ikoyi, Lagos, executed in collaboration with the Lagos Waste Management Authority

(LAWMA)andtheLagosStateWaterwaysAuthority(LASWA).Thejointeffortfocusedon

removingmarinedebris,promotingcleanerwaterways,andsupportingtheState’sbroader

climate-resilience agenda.

Speakingontheinitiative,DameDr.AdaoraUmeoji,OON,GroupManagingDirector/CEOof

Zenith Bank Plc, said: “At Zenith Bank, sustainability is integral to how we operate. Clearing our

streetsandourwaterwaysisapracticalreminderthatprotectingtheenvironmentisashared

responsibility – and one we are proud to take up alongside LAWMA and LASWA. Through these

exercises, we aretaking deliberate action topreserve our communities,support climate action,

andinspireotherstoact.Ouroperationswillcontinuetoalignwithglobalenvironmental

standards as we build a more sustainable future for Nigeria and Africa.”

ZenithBankremainscommittedtoembeddingEnvironmental,SocialandGovernance(ESG)

principles across its operations, investing in green initiatives, energy efficiency, and community-

focused programmes. These efforts advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

–particularlySDG7(AffordableandCleanEnergy),SDG11(SustainableCitiesand

Communities)andSDG13(ClimateAction).Sustainabilityremainsanoperationalimperative

across the Bank’s Nigerian base and its broader African, UK and European footprints

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ZENITH BANK RENEWS COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN WITH EDUCATION, INCLUSION & OPPORTUNITY AT THE CORE

Published

3 weeks ago

May 26, 2026

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Much more than commemorating the annual Children’s Day marked every May 27, Zenith Bank Plc is championing the

narrativethatchildrenarethetrueleadersoftomorrow.TheBankhasdeepeneditsinvestmentincarefullycurated

initiativesthatelevatechildrenacrosseducation,financialliteracy,health,digitalinclusion,andsocialprotection,

building a generation equipped to thrive and lead. For Zenith Bank, every child matters, and the Bank’s footprint reflects

a deliberate, pan-African strategy to nurture potential from the earliest age.

Zenith Bank has been the financial institution partner to Kiddies Corner on Inspiration 92.3FM Lagos for over three

years, anchoring the Tuesday edition and Zenith Financial Literacy Friday show. The programme blends spelling bee

contestswithfinancialliteracyquestions,creatingawarenessandonboardingchildrenintotheZenithChildren’s

Account (ZECA). This partnership came alive at the Inspiration FM Children’s Day Carnival on Saturday, May 23, 2026,

whereZenithBankhostedover1,000childrenandtheirparents,celebratingZECAwinnerswithgames,skits,and

Zenith Bank branded gifts.

The Bank’s Zenith Financial Literacy Week, held quarterly, takes this mission into select schools across all 36 states

andtheFCT.Studentsaretrainedonsavings,budgeting,basicinvestments,anditsretailproducts,withthetop

performer in each school awarded N50,000. Complementing this is the Bank’s nationwide Financial Literacy Program

undertheCBN-mandatedGlobalMoneyWeek,whichin2025alonereached3,622studentsacross22LGAs,

deploying 137 bank employee volunteers as educators.

In alignment with the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Quality Education, Zenith Bank

hasdonatedstate-of-the-artICTcentresandcomputersystemstoschoolsanduniversitiesnationwide,includinga

ComputerCentretoBamainaAcademy,Dutse,JigawaState.Itstransformativeinterventionsincludefullyequipped

libraries,vocationalfacilities,andlarge-scaleschoolrenovations,fromOjotaSecondarySchoolandVictoriaIsland

Secondary School in Lagos to Hugallawa Primary School in Jigawa. Targeted financial support further breaks barriers

with N1 million cash donation to Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, supporting girl-child education; infrastructure

upgrades at Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School; a N1 million scholarship endowment for St. Francis Catholic

Secondary School; and support for the North-East Children’s Fund to aid education in conflict-affected communities.

Through its Primary Healthcare Centre Initiative across all 774 LGAs, Zenith Bank educates parents on early childhood

savings during routine visits, linking health and financial well-being. The “PAD-A-QUEEN” Initiative commemorates the

International Day of the Girl Child, reaching5,000 girls in 10 schools withsanitary pads, hygiene kits, and menstrual

health education to keep girls in school and promote SDGs 3, 4, and 5.

The Bank’s compassion extends to the most vulnerable. At Bethesda Home and School for the Blind, Idi Oro, Lagos,

Zenith donatedbraille materials,food, and toiletries.For the2026 InternationalDay forStreet Children,it partneredwith

Bosco Child Protection Centre on medical check-ups, food, clothing, and counseling. Annual Christmas Charity Visits to

orphanagesdelivercash,toys,andessentialsupplies,whilesupportfortheSmileandShineChildrenFoundation’s

Strive Conference empowers over 2,000 adolescents with life skills and leadership training.

Commenting on the Bank’s intentionality towards the development of children, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group

Managing Director/CEO, ZenithBank Plc, said, “AtZenith Bank, weare deliberate about initiativesthat elevate children

becausetheyarenotjustourfuture,theyareourpresentresponsibility.AsWhitneyHoustonsopoignantlysang,‘I

believethechildrenarethefuture,teachthemwellandletthemleadtheway.’Thatisthephilosophydrivingour

investmentsineducation,financialliteracy,health,anddigitalinclusion.FromKiddiesCornertoICTcentres,from

PHCs to orphanages, we are teaching them well, equipping them early, and giving them the tools to lead. Zenith Bank

renews its commitment to every Nigerian child, to nurture their dreams, protect their dignity, and secure their tomorrow.”

Championing youth expression, the Zenith Annual Youth Parade, hosted by the Bank for 19 years, stands as a flagship

Corporate Social Responsibilityinitiative. Bringing togetherthousands of childrenand teenagers in avibrant showcase

of unity and discipline, the parade has remained dedicated since inception to the vital mission of supporting, nurturing,
andempoweringtheNigerianchild,reinforcingtheBank’sbeliefthatleadershipislearnedearlythroughteamwork,

confidence, and celebration of young Nigerian identity.

ForZenithBank,Children’sDayismorethanadateonthecalendar.Itisadailypledgetoempower,protect,and

prepareNigeria’schildrenforleadership.Fromclassroomstocommunities, the Bank’s initiatives are teaching them well

and letting them lead the way because the future belongs to children who are equipped today.