Heritage pledges support for creative sector, economy

Heritage Bank Plc has restated its commitment to the development and growth of the Nigeria’s creative industry, describing the sector as one of the easiest areas to solve the unemployment issue in the country.

The lender has also restated its commitment to ensuring sustainable growth and profitability despite the prevailing adverse macro-economic environment.The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Ifie Sekibo, who made the pledge, said the development and growth of the entertainment industry will get as many people as possible involved as manufacturing, banking and other sectors cannot do it a lone.

The bank, in statement, at the weekend, signed by the Divisional Head, Corporate Communications of the bank, Fela Ibidapo, said that the bank’s ambition to emerge as a systematically important bank in the Nigerian banking industry remains its underlying corporate growth strategy.

Sekibo said the music industry has done so much for Nigeria in terms of employment and foreign exchange earnings and if more resources could be put into it, the country would be better for it.

Besides supporting individual artistes in the industry, the bank has also partnered with some organisers to perform and produce some entertainment shows.At the event held at the popular Terra Kulture Arena, which was graced by members of the diplomatic corps, bank officials and lovers of arts, it featured notable celebrities like Hilda Dokubo, Monalisa Chinda Coker, Ibinabo Fiberisima, Julius Agwu, Ovunda Ihunwo, Peace Christian, Deborah Job, Opereke Jamabo Foh and Mercy Albert, among others, as casts.The bank has also partnered with MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, owners of the DSTV and GOTV brands to bring the third season of the Big Brother Naija to viewers across Africa and beyond.

“The bank will continue to support initiatives that have to do with sustainability,” the statement said, adding that migration is a depletion of human resources, depletion of values and depletion of human capital.

“We are there as an institution to help to facilitate and to create awareness that the grass is not greener on the other side. We can develop ourselves, we can build our nation, we can build our continent and sustain it if we do the right things,” the bank said.

According to the bank, the foundational element of its growth strategy-People, Partnership and Process, have been recalibrated to match the rapidly changing needs of its customers especially as it deploys full steam retail banking franchise.

Sekibo noted that the bank was on a growth track and was not unmindful of the headwinds facing the domestic economy, adding that it is very optimistic that the Heritage Brand will continue to soar over the current economic tide through its collective efforts to remain an enduring institution.

Ibidapo said the bank would continue to grow by appealing to key client segments especially in the retail space and also focus on under-penetrated banking segments while building loyalty amongst the bank’s existing customer base.

The statement said the bank was committed to building an enduring and resilient banking franchise in the country, remarking that in the midst of the seemingly stormy realities presented by events within the political and economic environments, the bank will continue to pursue its strategic aspiration of not only being stable but also being sustainable in earnings and profitability in its growth plan.

The bank said it was committed to deploying its resources towards the delivery of innovative banking solutions to its customers as well as create and transfer wealth to all its stakeholders.