Heritage Bank Builds Capacity of MSMEs

Fri, May 15, 2015

By publisher

4 MIN READ

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HERITAGE Bank Limited is committed to building a network of entrepreneurial leaders necessary to drive the growth of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, in Nigeria. Ifie Sekibo, managing director/chief executive, Heritage Bank, said the bank has developed and introduced wide range of services which address the capacity and financing needs of MSME businesses.

“The goal of Heritage Bank’s MSME offerings is to build a network of entrepreneurial leaders that will drive the growth of the sector. This would enhance the ability of the MSME sector to effectively play its role as the engine growth of the economy”, he said. Heritage Bank’s commitment to leadership building in the MSME sector is reflected in the bank’s SME Clinic.

“The Heritage Bank SME Clinic is designed to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of our SME customers. Through the Clinic, Heritage Bank understands the different aspects of the customer’s business in order to identify areas where it can add value. As a result we are able to develop customised products and services based on the identified needs of each SME customer,” he said.

This is complemented with Heritage Governance Model, through which the bank introduces corporate governance framework to its MSME customers. The Phase one of the schemes focuses on issues around statutory and regulatory obligations and incorporates the following four services: Company Secretary Services; Auditing & Assurance; Accounting Services; And Tax Consultancy. These services are rendered to SME customers of the bank at subsidised fees by network of consultants.

To further demonstrate its commitment to the growth of the MSMEs, Heritage Bank developed the Paris Club Scheme in partnership with RSL Derivatives Limited. This is a credit enhancement scheme specially designed for SME’s to collectively help each other create a platform that will accelerate growth and give SME’s easy access to funding. The solution provides a platform for SMEs to adopt best practices in managing their businesses and also enable them to access loans from Heritage Bank without any hard core collateral.

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Access Bank Works to Reduce Maternal Mortality

ACCESS Bank through its ‘W’ initiative said it has gone into partnership with Business Direct and Services on the Audrey Pack project in Nigeria. The project, according to the bank is focused on the reduction of maternal and child mortality. The bank explained in a statement that with the collaboration, its ‘W’ initiative would be liaising with both private and government owned hospitals to deliver free Audrey packs to expectant and new moms.

“Specifically, there will be educative sessions where women will be equipped with resources to help them make informed choices before, during and after pregnancy. In addition, the project is also poised to provide access to better health care services with the Maternal Health Service Support (MHSS) which is specially designed to support women and families with easy and convenient options to pay for medical expenses,” it stated.

According to Ope Wemi-Jones, group head, Inclusive Banking at Access Bank, the ‘W’ initiative is the home for everything Access Bank offers to women and transcends just a banking relationship. “It is our approach to banking women based on our understanding of their financial and lifestyle needs. In the quest to support access to quality health care, the Bank introduced the first of its kind Maternal Health Service Support (MHSS) which provides affordable financing options for medical procedures peculiar to women. This includes IVF procedures, Natal care, Myomectomies, Hysterectomies, and specialized Surgeries amongst others,” she said.

Wemi-Jones stated that recipients of the Audrey Pack can benefit from the unique offerings of the W Initiative which includes access to women around the world through the W community, the No 1 online interactive platform designed to Inspire, Connect and Empower women.

The Audrey Pack is a free co-branded bag distributed to expectant and new moms in government and private hospitals nationwide. It contains free products samples from multi-nationals, antenatal and healthcare information and of course, information on managing family finances. The Audrey pack project is a further attestation of Access Bank’s commitment to empowerment of the Nigerian Women and Families.

— May 25, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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