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Fidelity Bank rewards customers, harps on SMEs development for diversification

By Femi Adekoya
16 November 2015   |   2:58 am
FIDELITY Bank Plc has stated that the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) ‎is crucial for Nigeria’s quest to diversify the nation’s economy.
Photo; muscatdaily

Photo; muscatdaily

FIDELITY Bank Plc has stated that the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) ‎is crucial for Nigeria’s quest to diversify the nation’s economy.

The Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo, explained that supporting SMEs has been one of the most rewarding aspect of the bank’s business activities, maintaining that all hands must be on deck to encourage and support the growth of the SME sector.

Okonkwo who was represented by the Executive Director, Shared Services, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs. Chijioke Okechukwu during Fidelity Bank’s day at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair, stated: “We have said over and over again that SMEs hold the key to our future economic growth and we are also very committed in building capacities for SMES. We believe they have great potentials within them and it carries with it the secret to a great future.‎
“We are using this 29th edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair to reach out to our customers and also to bring Fidelity bank’s special brands of products and services to the world at large.”

She said the bank is part of the disbursement of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s ) N200 billion fund for SMEs, saying that the SME bank of the year‎ boasts of an SME team in Lagos offering business advisory services, lending and training‎ for SMEs.

Customers were rewarded cash prizes for their long term commitment and services to the bank.
“The people we have rewarded with cash prizes have held accounts with the bank over the years. ‎They were randomly picked and not a promo. Our save for shelter promo is a pure loyalty reward for our customers. We are also planning to open malls to get our services close to our customers. There will be an Alaba mall, a Tejuosho mall all within Fidelity framework. Customers are advised to watch out,” she said.

Earlier, the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alhaji Remi Bello, represented by the Deputy President, Mrs. Nike Akande, stressed the need for the economy to look beyond oil‎, saying that the chamber is calling on the attention of the federal government to support value addition of non-oil export to boost the nation’s industrial base.
“We are using this medium to call on the attention of the federal government to look inwards and seek ways on how we can reposition and diversify the nation’s economy. ‎Value addition on non-oil export is critical for Nigeria’s industrialisation, job and wealth creation. We can earn huge foreign exchange if we place emphasis on value addition,” she said.

She commended Fidelity bank’s effort in supporting SMES, saying that the bank has continued to touch and improve lives with its various range of products especially to SMEs.
The General Manager, SME Banking, Fidelity, Ken Okpara, said Fidelity is at the fore front supporting SMEs in Nigeria by building capacities in the sector and also providing access to the market place.

“We have also adopted a cluster lending approach to identify areas where vital SMEs are located to assist them with funding, capacity programmes, advisory services to grow their businesses to the next level,” he said.
“Today is fidelity’s day at the trade fair, we have come to identify with the programmes of the fair and also reward our customers especially in the service areas. Today we have a crop of savers that have won a lot of cash rewards from Fidelity. We use this to appreciate our customers for their long standing commitment to Fidelity,” he added.

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