Access Bank Plc has received the commendation of the Central Bank of Nigeria for its commitment on sustainable banking principles.

The CBN gave the commendation at a programme in Abuja which it jointly hosted with the European Organisation for Sustainable Development.

The programme, organised for seniors executives of Deposit Money Banks, was targeted at creating world class sustainable banking and finance for DMBs in Nigeria through embracing holistic sustainability standards.

Senior banking executives who attended the roundtable include the Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Chizoba Okoli; Director, Banking Supervision, CBN, Mustafa Haruna; Special Adviser to the CBN Governor on Sustainable Banking, Aisha Mahmood; and Head of Sustainability at Access Bank Plc, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan.

Also present at the event were the Director for Bank Supervision at Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Phillip Madamombe; Chairman International Council of Sustainability Standards and Chief Executive Officer of European Organisation for Sustainable Development, Arshad Rab, among others.

Speaking at the event, the special adviser to the CBN governor said three financial institutions in Nigeria, namely Access Bank Plc, Development Bank of Nigeria and Bank of Industry had been committed in the implementation of sustainable principles in the financial sector.

Mahmood said Access Bank was the first African commercial bank to be sustainability certified by the EOSD in 2020, while the Development Bank of Nigeria became the first Development Financial Institution in the country and the second in Africa to be sustainability certified.