Facilitating a Sustainable Future
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2019 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT Facilitating a Sustainable Future EXECUTIVE THE ACCESS BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIPS & RECOGNITION & SUMMARY BRAND STATEMENT MEMBERSHIPS AWARDS Contents z Contents ............................3 z The Access Bank z Performance z Assurance Brand ............................... 23 Metrics ............................ 78 Statement ....................125 z More Than A Bank ...........4 z Our Presence ................ 24 z Community Investment z Contact Us ...................126 z Giving You More ...............6 Initiatives ......................... 86 z Value-added z Doing More Than the Statement ...................... 25 z Employee Volunteering Ordinary .............................7 Activities ......................... 98 z Business Model ............. 26 z Board Committee on z Gender .........................105 Sustainability .....................9 z Corporate Governance ................... 45 z Environmental z More Commitment ...... 13 Stewardship .................113 z Our Approach ................ 52 z More Impact .................. 15 z Awards and z Our Approach to z Unveiling More Recognitions ................117 Sustainability .................. 56 Opportunities ................ 18 z Supplementary z Our Partnerships and z The Issues That Information ..................122 Memberships................. 61 Matter .............................. 20 3 EXECUTIVE THE ACCESS BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIPS & RECOGNITION & SUMMARY BRAND STATEMENT MEMBERSHIPS AWARDS More Than A Bank Access Bank’s sustainability strategy has high-quality investors, thereby rein- continued to evolve as we constantly forcing our reputation as a responsible seek to meet the demands of a dynamic institution. This is driving us towards our and fast-changing world. We have kept vision – “To be the world’s most respect- our finger on the pulse of sustainability ed African bank.” Our reputation, which innovation, and we continue to improve includes our ability to provide a condu- performances in our core business, cive environment for innovation, is also environmental footprint and the social an incentive for attracting and retaining wellbeing of the communities where we the best talents. operate. We do this while implementing In 2019, we became the first African innovative and optimal risk management commercial bank to be nominated by the strategies. Our sustainability strategy European Organization for Sustainable is firmly aligned with our core business Development (EOSD) to join the Sus- strategy. This is how we have maintained tainability Standards and Certification our lead on the frontiers of sustainability Initiative (SSCI), thus extending our com- in the financial services industry. Our val- mitment to sustainability through new ue creation underpins the trust that has partnerships and memberships. We have been crucial in preserving the relation- maintained our previous partnerships ship between the Bank and our valued with the United Nations Global Compact stakeholders, including our esteemed (UNGC), United Nations Principles for customers and shareholders. Responsible Investment (UNPRI) and we Our risk management policy is at the have remained on the steering commit- core of our investment decisions. tee of the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Coupled with our operational efficiency, Principles (NSBP). We also continue to Access Bank has continued to attract leverage our partnership with Aspire 4 EXECUTIVE THE ACCESS BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIPS & RECOGNITION & SUMMARY BRAND STATEMENT MEMBERSHIPS AWARDS Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation to machines (ATMs) in 2019, which brought fund the activities of various non-profit the total number of our solar-powered organizations that are committed to ATMs to 605. We introduced the Paper the economic and social growth of the to Pencil Initiative to foster proper man- communities where we operate. agement of branded paper that became waste as a result of Access Bank’s merg- Our employees devoted 67,867 hours of er with Diamond Bank. We also issued their time, as well as their talents and re- the first Climate Bonds Initiative-certi- sources, to support various causes and fied green bond in Africa. Proceeds from projects that brought progress in differ- the bond issuance were used to fund ent communities. These efforts, among various projects that mitigate climate others, made our stakeholders proud. change. Some of the education-focused pro- grammes carried out by our employees These and many other endeavours were the Adopt-A-School Programme, highlighted in this report earned us Lunch Out Campaign, Project L.E.A.D several local and international awards and Science Set Initiative. Furthermore, and recognitions in 2019. Among the ac- activities by the Access Women Network colades for our efforts in sustainability in (AWN), an initiative of the Bank’s female the fiscal year were the awards for Most employees, positively impacted female Sustainable Bank of the Year, Sustain- Company of the Year from the Sus- tion and best-in-class product offerings. employees at all levels. The initiative was able Transaction of the Year (Oil and Gas tainability Enterprise and Responsibility We are proud of the milestones we have also a catalyst for the retention of female sector), Sustainable Transaction of the Awards (SERAs) attained, and we continue to strive for employees in the bank. Year (Power sector), and Excellence in growth and more successes in the com- Women Economic Empowerment, all by Over the last decade of our sustainability As we continue to reduce the carbon ing years. the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). We journey, we have demonstrated commit- footprint from our operations, the num- also received the awards for the Most ment to doing our part in maintaining the ber of Access Bank branches powered by Sustainable Bank, Nigeria from World Fi- strategic partnerships we have devel- alternative or renewable energy sources nance; Best Company in Partnership for oped, evaluating our strategy to ensure have risen to 58 as of 2019, compared Development, Best Company in Climate that we remain the bank to beat when it to 12 branches in 2018. We also added Action and Most Socially-Responsible comes to sustainability, and continuously 321 solar-powered automated teller evolving our processes through innova- 5 EXECUTIVE THE ACCESS BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIPS & RECOGNITION & SUMMARY BRAND STATEMENT MEMBERSHIPS AWARDS Giving You More Access Bank’s 2019 Sustainability Report calendar year 2019, and in some cases, is the twelfth consecutive report of the the first half of 2020. It is complementa- Bank’s business activities and progress ry to the Annual Financial Report, 2019. on material topics that are important to Any other details from other years are our stakeholders as they relate to the stated clearly. environment and the society. This report Following the feedback from the 2018 shows our continuous commitment and report, we have reviewed the data pre- drive towards achieving sustainability. sented in this report to highlight major In this regard, it is a compendium of our aspects of our performance indicators. efforts between January and December This report communicates various 2019. improvements to our different activities. The report is prepared in accordance For instance, we included HIV testing with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and counselling services to the 2019 and Standards. It also integrates the report- 2020 Access Bank Lagos City mara- ing requirements of other sustainability thons. The report provides an overview protect the environment. to further evaluate our sustainability journey thus far and bring our esteemed standards like the UNGC, the Equator of our operations across our current The report details our memberships in stakeholders up to speed on the prog- Principles and the United Nations Envi- locations, our business model and how various organisations and partnerships ress we have made on this journey. ronment Programme Finance Initiative we ensure that sustainability is embed- with like-minded businesses and or- (UNEP-FI), using data from the reporting ded into every aspect of what we do. It ganisations with whom we have formed year. Using these standards, this report highlights our communication process stronger bonds and are able to take on discusses topics that are material to the with our various stakeholders and how bigger challenges. With these member- Bank’s stakeholders and intersect the we have, together, developed solutions ships, we are part of a force for change in business goals as presented in the Mate- that are not only mutually beneficial, but our world today. riality Matrix. It is a comprehensive report have also helped us to find better ways This report is an opportunity for us of our non-financial activities for the to do business, satisfy our people and 6 EXECUTIVE THE ACCESS BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIPS & RECOGNITION & SUMMARY BRAND STATEMENT MEMBERSHIPS AWARDS Doing More Than the Ordinary Sustainability has been intricately woven supporting economic growth. By provid- into the DNA of Access Bank. For us, ing more than banking, Access Bank is sustainability is not a construct for imple- supporting thousands of projects annu- menting and marketing some products ally, many of which are helping to scale and initiatives for the purpose of making up small and medium-scale enterprises a statement. From the corporate gov- (SMEs) and create employment. We have ernance of