Fidelity Bank reaffirms commitment to SME growth

•Emerges SME lender of the year 

Affirming the need to support and encourage the growth of Small and Medium ‎and Enterprises (SMEs) due to their increasing role as critical agents of economic development and transformation, Fidelity Bank Plc, has restated its commitment to drive SME operations in the country.‎

The Executive Director, Shared Services, Fidelity Bank Plc, ‎Mrs. Chijioke Okechukwu‎, while speaking during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry award night, explained that‎ the bank has keyed into the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) fund, processing so many applications and had also made disbursements to many of its customers.

According to her, SMEs account for over 70 per cent of all enterprises globally and provide over 50 to 60 percent of employment opportunities in any economy. ‎

Indeed, the bank was adjudged the SME bank of the year for bridging the gap in capacity building in the SME development space and helping SMEs to build the needed capacity for entrepreneurial success.

This is a big night for Fidelity because the recognition is truly heart warming. We have worked so hard so many years in the background and it has brought us to where we are today.

We are very proud of what we do with SMEs in Nigeria and to be recognised by one the oldest chamber in the country, just tells us to do more and better and we will. ‎

We tend to intensify our efforts in this regard and we also think that the fund from CBN is an excellent opportunity for SMEs to get funds to start or expand their businesses. This is an opportunity SMEs cannot afford to miss”, she said.

She said as a bank, ‎it cannot but support the SMEs, pointing out that the sector is the backbone of the Nigerian economy. “We are indeed very proud to have the opportunity ‎at this time of our career in the industry to make our mark and contribute our quota to the development of the economy,” she stressed.

‎The General Manager, SME, Fidelity Bank Plc, Ken Opara, said the award shows thoroughness and the bank’s resolve to be number one in the market it serves. “We do not want to be everything to everybody but we want to be careful in the areas we serve our customers.

We want to provide efficiency, excellent service and also get our customers excited. We want a situation where our customers look up to us for value,” he said.