First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced its drive to get up to 500,000 operators onboard its agent banking platform, Firstmonie in a bid to boost its financial inclusion drive across the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan made this declaration during the opening ceremony of the just concluded the 12th Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN.
Adeduntan who also doubled as the Chairman of the CIBN 2019 Conference Consultative Committee revealed that said FirstBank will support all efforts to ensure effective financial inclusion in Nigeria.
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In his words, “we have a very ambitious plan to appoint about 500,000 agents across the nook and cranny of our country and to ensure that banking facilities and services are made available to all Nigerians.”
He noted that the banking sector in Nigeria remained the primary partner to the government with regards to economic growth and development in the country. “If we do not utilise those opportunities and mainstream them properly, the country and the entire economy will be left behind,” Adeduntan stated.
According to the Bank, FirstMonie Agents are usually owners of small businesses within communities with limited or no banking penetration. The Bank has an Agent Banking strength of over 31,000 Agents, spread across 98% of the country’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).