Mr Olusegun Alebiosu, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank, has advised world leaders to prioritise poverty eradication alongside climate change and gender inequality as urgent issues demanding attention and action.
This is contained in a statement made available on Thursday by Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd.
She said Alebiosu gave the advice in an interview on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Alebiosu said that all forms of poverty resulted from lack of access and resources, adding that finance was the most critical factor in combating poverty in the 21st century.
“The easiest way to get out of poverty is access to finance,” he said.
The financial expert listed topics discussed during the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit as including innovative financing, sustainable financing and the impact of Artificial Intelligence on humanity.
“There is the need to develop human resources to tackle the widening economic gap between developed and developing nations.
“The emphasis on human resource development echoes the United Nations’ focus on sustainable development and equality, particularly in areas such as gender equality, climate action and living wages,” the financial expert said.
Alebiosu identified financial inclusion as a key area for FirstBank to address in supporting poverty alleviation under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said FirstBank considered financial inclusion a central part of its business strategy, resulting in the extension of over N36 billion in loans to women in 2023.
He added that financial inclusion was also the motive for the development of a gender market strategy to strengthen the Bank’s women portfolio.
Alebiosu highlighted FirstBank’s extensive Firstmonie agents’ network in Nigeria, saying that it surpassed 232,000 in 2023, with over 55,000 of the agents being women.
He added that the women continually offered financial services in their communities as a testament to the power of financing in advancing economic interests and promoting economic development.
“FirstBank will further be entrenched into the fabric of the society, earning a place in the hearts and minds of Nigerians as a giant advocate for economic development in Nigeria and Africa as a whole,” he said.
The UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit is an annual day-long conference that empowers private sector leaders to drive sustainable development and advance the 2030 Agenda.
The event provides a unique platform for business leaders, UN officials, government leaders, SDG stakeholders, and civil society professionals to converge and explore innovative solutions with actionable insights.
The 2024 edition held in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 24. (NAN)
