By Toyosi Olajide
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, has said that the bank is focused on joining the league of top 5 Banks in Africa within the next five years.
Wigwe disclosed this in a brief chat with business journalist in Lagos last Tuesday. He noted that the bank which had risen to an enviable position in Nigeria’s banking system is planning to become one of the most respected on the continent as they are presently number 12 in Africa. He stressed that and the bank is working towards reaching and even surpassing number 5 position in the continent by 2027.
He added that the bank’s projection for 2027 would be pursued aggressively to achieve laid down goals.
Wigwe said the projection would see the bank regionalising its presence on the continent with regional offices in Ghana, Nairobi, Botswana, South Africa, and Nigeria as the country would be moving to another level, creating much more diversified institutions after 20 years.
In addition, he said that Access was consolidating on the positive impact of its new Holding Company, with the bank functioning as one of its subsidiaries in line with the changing times in which it aims to be Africa’s inspiration to the world.
“Banking is changing at a faster pace than we can imagine,” Wigwe said.
According to him, technology is changing all things and anyone that fails to change with the trends would wake up one day to find out he had no business anymore.
Wigwe said the bank was creating strong digital technology in line with its growth to ensure efficient service delivery.
He said that the bank would continue to support the government in making the economy better, just as it played a major role in the formation of CACOVID to intervene at the height of the pandemic.