The management of Ecobank Nigeria says its commitment to supporting and sustaining the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in all sectors of the nation’s economy, remains unwavering.
One sector of particular interest, according to speakers at a Webinar organized recently by the bank in Lagos, is agriculture.
Speaking on “Harnessing CBN and other funding opportunities for SMEs in the emerging economic climate,” Emeka Agada, Head, SME, Ecobank Nigeria, assured that the bank will continue harnessing and exploring the various CBN intervention schemes and other funding and trading opportunities provided for small businesses.
He said Ecobank has also provided solutions that enhance trade through provision of working capital and digital platforms for payments and collections.
According to him, Ecobank recognises that one of the ways of creating jobs, reducing poverty and achieving economic growth and development is by the timely extension of credit to businesses, stressing that the bank is a big player in financial intermediation in that sub sector.
“Ecobank is a major player in the SME space. We have won several awards in this regard, which is why Ecobank is commonly referred to as the SME friendly bank. We will continue to partner with CBN and other funding partners to play the important role of promoting economic growth and development through the process of financial intermediation in the sub sector under any circumstance” he said.
Agada listed business loans offered by Ecobank to SMEs to include merchant advance for businesses using digital collection channels, inventory finance for key distributors, shop-owner facility for traders, purchase order and invoice discounting, asset finance, agriculture finance amongst others.
The bank, he continued, also supports trade by providing solutions for facilitating onshore and off-shore activities such as export finance, import finance, bonds, guarantees, small scale import forex via Form Q etc. He further stated that Ecobank is also a major participant in the CBN Interventions such as Creative Industry Initiative (CIFI), Healthcare Intervention Fund, Real Sector Support Facility(RSSF) and all Agric related intervention funds amongst others.
In her presentation titled “Harnessing CBN and other Ecobank funding opportunities for Agric business in the emerging economic climate,” Moji Oguntoyinbo (Head, AgriBusiness, Ecobank Nigeria), said Ecobank is sustaining its commitment to the agriculture sector in partnership with NIRSAL and some other developmental institutions in the next two to three years.
According to her, Ecobank is a partner with the CBN in all its intervention schemes and programs which are focused on the development of the agricultural sector.
“This relationship is generating activities across the entire value chain of the sector,” she stated.
She listed the various schemes and programmes to include the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF), Real Sector Support Facility (RSSF), Paddy Aggregation Scheme (PAS), Maize Aggregation Scheme (MAS) and Rice Distributors’ Facility (RDF).
This edition of the Ecobank Webinar series, the bank explained in a statement, is an initiative of Ecobank’s Commercial Banking business aimed at deepening conversations on the new normal for businesses and how individuals can harness new opportunities in the face of COVID-19.
The virtual engagement attracted participation from amongst various Ecobank customers comprising, individuals and business owners from different sectors of the economy and financial experts who joined across virtual platforms and social media handles.
