A Director of GS Microfinance Bank, Mr. Sunday Adelaja, has declared that the presence of the bank in Nigeria is the beginning of eradicating poverty among 40 million Africans between now and the next 20 years.
He said the bank was bent on effecting a change and doing something about poverty.
Speaking in Lagos on Saturday during the inauguration of the bank’s headquarters, Adelaja said GS MFB was also taking on the responsibility of eradicating poverty among a number of Nigerians. He noted that the bank would exemplify what it meant to eradicate the endemic problem of poverty.
According to him, “I no longer believe in giving money to individuals, but we all have to empower the poor to ensure that they can fend for themselves for as long as they live. It is not even worthwhile to give money to people as they will end up spraying the money at parties.
“The difference that GS Microfinance Bank will make is that we are not only going to give out loans but also mentor those we are giving money to. We will give them trainers and people to advise them on how to use the money.”
He said the bank also had the goal of reaching 4,000 villages in Nigeria and 40,000 villages in Africa.
Having satisfied all necessary conditions, Fayrouz, a soft drink produced by Nigerian Breweries Plc, has been given the prestigious Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificate and logo.
At the presentation of the certificate to the company, Dr. John Akanya, Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), analysed that MANCAP's aim is to protect consumers from consuming unsafe or sub-standard goods produced in the country as well as secure genuine manufacturers from competing with fake products.
Akanya also lauded the Nigerian Breweries for meeting the conditions of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
Mr. Michiel Herkemij, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Breweries, thanked MANCAP for the certification for quality.
The firm’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, was also pronounced as the Telecom CEO of the Year.
At the awards ceremony, which held in Lagos, Dr. Adenuga’s company , Globacom, was named the Rural Access Phone Service Provider of the Year, GSM Operator of the Year and the National Telephone Operator of the Year; making Globacom the highest award winner at the event with five awards.
While applauding Dr. Adenuga as the Pan African Telecom Investor of the Year, NITTA said that the businessman had made Globacom the first single telecoms firm in the region to test the 3G network, lay an under sea cable across West Africa to Europe and launch the first nationwide optic fibre transmission network.
On behalf of Globacom, Dr. Adenuga also signed a contract to install West Africa’s first wireless network based on Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service/High Speed Packet Access technology. “This project will provide one million subscribers with state-of-the-art mobile broadband services.” NITTA said.
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