In effort to support the rebuilding of businesses affected by the End SARS protests, Access Bank has announced a N50 billion support in form of interest-free loans and grants to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
Coming on the heels of the impact of the pandemic, coupled with the hijacked #EndSARS protests that led to the looting of businesses and destruction of properties which has thrown so many Nigerians into debts, the bank hass reaffirmed its commitment to its purpose of impacting lives positively. It said,
“There has been a setback on this journey and we feel the hurt of our nation. We are committed to restarting businesses quickly but even more importantly to ensure we come out of this stronger and more successful together. Now more than ever, we remain committed to our purpose of impacting lives positively. In light of the recent occurrences, we will be supporting
Nigerian businesses with N50 billion interest-free loans and grants. Watch this space for more information.”
According to the bank, the events of recent days and weeks have been a difficult period in the Nation’s history.
‘’We have all been anxious, worried, and pained at what we have seen in the media and what we have heard from our customers, our colleagues, and loved ones. As one of Nigeria’s largest businesses serving every part of our society, it is our responsibility and duty to make a difference.
The bank also disclosed that it cannot base its support for SMEs at this time by merely sending solidary messages emphasizing the need for corpoartes to help their customers and communities get back on track.
”We cannot simply stand by and send messages of solidarity, and go back to ‘business as usual’ without helping get our customers back on-track. Our young technology entrepreneurs have been building businesses that are celebrated globally and we have seen SMEs flourish and innovate across the country. Supporting business,large and small, is in our DNA and in recent years we have seen entrepreneurial spirit that filled us with hope and confidence in the future. ‘’
