Access Bank renews commitment to women empowerment

ACCESS Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading banks has stated its commitment to women’s empowerment after graduating the first group of female drivers through the W-Initiative.

The bank recently held a graduation ceremony and presented certificates to the first set of female trainees that were successfully trained on how to drive and modern driving skills. This initiative was launched in July, and in the last five months, over 1,800 people have indicated an interest in participating, while over 120 women have been directly impacted by this initiative.

Speaking during the ceremony, Victor Etuokwu, deputy managing director, Retail Banking North, said the driver’s training programme conducted by the bank on quarterly basis is primarily aimed at empowering women in Nigeria to be better drivers, adding that the exercise, which started many months ago can add value to the female graduands and how they are able to explore the vast and varied opportunities presented by what they have learned in the future.

He declared that the training programme shows the high level of importance attached to women in society, adding that the programme shows how deliberate Access Bank is when women are concerned. “Training and empowering women in Nigeria is something we believe in, and something that we, as a bank, know is right and genuine for us as a bank and as a business. And banking with them has been exceptionally beneficial for us, and in this bank, we are very proud to work with women,” Etokwu said. He stated that women are part of Access Bank’s life and are cherished by the management and staff, and you can’t take away women as part of everyday existence. He added that Access Bank connects women and empowers them.