The Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, has been named as the African Banker of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Wigwe disclosed this in a press release made obtainable to newsmen on Sunday in Lagos. He was recognised on the 2021 version of the African Banker Awards.
Wigwe was recognised for his stellar management in the market growth of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest financial institution regardless of the destructive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the last 12 months, Access Bank has established a presence in South Africa following its acquisition of Grobank. Wigwe, whereas accepting the award stated the financial institution was centered on selling corporate discipline.
Based on him, the financial institution needs to be in key markets on the continent, constructing a payment gateway and offering trade finance aid.
“We want to be seen as the best bank supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement. In terms of the Diaspora remittances, we’re present in key areas in the continent,” he stated.
Commenting on the award, Group Publisher of African Banker and Chair of the Awards Committee, Omar Ben Yedder stated: “Wigwe is without doubt one of the most revered bankers on the continent, without a shadow of a doubt. The financial institution has gone from a lower-ranked Nigerian financial institution when he joined the group as Deputy CEO to become certainly one of Africa’s main monetary providers groups.
“He has shown a relentless pursuit for progress but has done so in a measured and calculated method. What he and his crew have performed at Access Bank is nothing short of remarkable,” Yedder stated.
The awards ceremony was held nearly in the course of the Annual conferences of the African Development Bank. The African Banker Awards have become the most revered and acknowledged trade event celebrating African banking achievements.
The organisers this year had put emphasis on recognizing and rewarding institutions that contributed to the true economic system which has suffered from the effect of the COVID-19 in addition to contribution to women empowerment on the continent.
