First Bank has provided 500,000 direct and indirect jobs in the last four years through its digital platforms aimed at driving financial inclusion. This was made known by its Managing Director/CEO , Adesola Adeduntan.The CEO also said over two million individuals have been economically impacted through the jobs that have been created and finances provided by the bank. He made this known at the Africa Legislative, legal and good governance conference in Abuja on Friday with the theme: policy, justice and global cooperation for building back better.
Speaking further, he disclosed that the bank’s agency platform “first money ” employed up to 170,000 agents across the country, with over N56 billion paid to the agents as commission.
Adeduntan said the bank is also deliberate in deepening women participation and informed that 35,000 of these agents are women, in addition to the platform called “first gem” targeted at driving gender inclusiveness. “We are mentoring women in business especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and agriculture. If you empower a woman you empower nation,” Adeduntan added.
The First Bank boss stressed that deepening financial inclusion will create more jobs, reduce poverty prevalence in the country, and drive economic growth. “For over 128 years at first bank, we have been very deliberate in striking a balance between profitability and supporting the growth and development of the economy. Without financial inclusion, you cannot eradicate poverty, neither can you promote employment. When people are gainfully employed, some of these social vices that we are dealing with such as banditry and other crimes will decline,” he added.
Adeduntan further informed that First bank has executed several projects as part of its corporate social responsibility. “We have impacted over 20,000 widows and the less privileged, we have impacted over 60 charities and NGOs and we have trained over 80,0000 students on financial literacy,” he informed.
