The International Bankers Magazine has conferred the nation’s foremost development finance Institution, Bank of Industry with the best Development Bank award.
The organiser of the International Bankers’ award, IBM presented the award to the Bank at the London Stock Exchange yesterday in recognition of its relentless drive to widen the spectrum of financial support to the nation’s entrepreneurs, especially the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and the players in the creative industry.
The award, according to industry players, is a boost the bank’s efforts to raise funds from the international market to finance its various intervention programmes in the nation’s real sector, especially the fast growing creative industry.
It will be recalled that on assumption of duty barely two years ago, the Managing Director of BoI, Mr. Olukayode Pitan had hinted on plans to raise $500million from the international market. In his remarks at the occasion, the Bank’s CEO thanked the organisers of the award, assuring that the bank would not relent on its efforts to boost Nigeria’s real sector through an increased support to the MSMEs.
He said the bank had realised over $100million profit within the ongoing financial year. While restating the bank’s commitment to financial prudence, Pitan expressed the determination of the bank to raise more funds to support more ventures with the potential to generate employment opportunities for the youths.