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Ghana Revenue Authority completes study on Ghana’s port clearance

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The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has completed a study dubbed; “Time Release” to assess the average time goods under customs are cleared at the various ports and frontiers of Ghana.

The study, conducted between September 2022 and 2024, was done at the Tema Port, Kotoka International Airport, Aflao and Paga borders, to represent imports and exports for domestic consumption, transit trade, and petty trading across frontiers.

It was also aimed at serving as a benchmark for future studies, with the overall objective being the identification and elimination of bottlenecks within the clearance chain to facilitate international trade.

The Time Release Study had technical support from the World Customs Organisation and funding from donor agencies such as USAID.

Mr Smile Agbemenu, a Chief Revenue Officer at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), at a media forum, said although the study revealed that several factors impacted the time spent clearing goods at the ports those factors were not tied to one particular entity in the clearance chain.

On the part of declarants, there were issues like failure or delay in pre-arrival processes such as payment of duties and completion of permit application processes, which might result in delayed clearance time, he said.

Again, licenses, permits, and certificates issued by other state institutions in the clearance chain such as the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, and Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Departments could take weeks to acquire; thereby delaying application, which also affected clearance, he said.

He explained that depending on the nature of cargo imported, customs’ risk management systems could flag goods as highly suspicious and require them to go through rigorous inspection, which could cause some significant delays.

Mr Agbemenu, who is the Technical Chairman for the Time Release Study Project, said when cargo-carrying vessels berthed at the dedicated container terminal at Meridian Ports Services (MPS) Terminal 3, the cargos required to undergo rigorous inspection and devanning were transferred to the Golden Jubilee Terminal, which took some time, contributing to some delays for clearing the goods. 

He acknowledged that the study also revealed aspects of delays caused by customs, other government agencies, and the private sector, and said recommendations had been made in the report towards improving those challenges.

Ms Diana Ayorkor Agbenyega, the Chief Revenue Officer and Project Manager for the Time Release Study, said the officers needed some refresher training while customs house agents must also be trained for a better understanding of the declaration processes.

She said although attaining the Government’s four-hour clearance target might not be immediately realised, they were looking forward to the an average time of under three days for clearing imports at the Tema Port.

She indicated that due to the comprehensive end-to-end nature of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), it was easy to establish the time stamps that aided the study.

Meanwhile, the study found that it took an average of 10 days 21 hours and 17 minutes to release cargo from customs control after berthing, while the average time at MPS was eight days, eight hours and 14 minutes.

On the other hand, the average time goods were cleared at the Golden Jubilee and Safebond Car Terminal was 14 days, four hours and nine minutes, while in some isolated cases it took a maximum of 53 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes, and a minimum of 17 hours and five minutes for cargo to be released after berthing.

BoG’s GH¢60.81bn deficit may lead to retrenchment in several essential operations, says John Kwakye.

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Dr. John Kwakye, Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), has criticised the New Patriotic Party flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for portraying the Bank of Ghana’s GH¢60.81 billion losses for the year 2022 as just technical losses.

According to the economic researcher, the losses will result in changes to several of the Bank’s key functions as it strives to slash expenses.

In an article referred to as “Dr. Bawumia’s Speech: Turning an Impossibility into the Possibility?” Dr. Kwakye stated that one of the direct repercussions of the loss is the country’s shifting inflationary numbers.

“Dr. Bawumia said BoG’s action was responsible and that it was temporary, as the Bank had advanced money to Government in only two of the past seven years. The Minister of Finance had expressed similar sentiments in the past, which was not surprising because Government was the direct beneficiary of the monetary financing.

“However, as central bankers, we know that the most inflationary source of financing the budget is high-powered money coming directly from the central bank vault. It is not the fact that BoG advanced money to Government that is the issue, for the Bank’s Act provides for such advances up to 5% of the previous year’s revenue. It is the magnitude of the advance—over 50% of the previous year’s revenue—that is disturbing. It is no wonder inflation peaked at 54.1% in 2022—and depreciation ballooned to 54.2% in November 2022, before falling bank to 30.0% in December 2022. Meanwhile, as Government debt to BoG was also discounted under the DDEP, the Bank made a whopping loss of GHS61 billion and a record negative equity of GHS54 billion in 2022.”

Dr. Kwakye argued that though the Finance Minister Ken Ofor-Atta and the BoG downplayed the loss, the country’s balance sheet has been severely impacted.

“Both the Minister and the Governor seem to have played down the loss as only a technical loss. However, the fact is that the Bank’s balance sheet has been severely impacted, and this would force it to cut back on some of its important operations so as to save costs.”

Ghana must emulate the US inspector general system to tackle corruption, says John Kwakye.

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Dr. John Kwakye, Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), is urging the government to adopt the US Inspector General (IG) system to more effectively combat corruption.

Dr. Kwakye commented on the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s, talk on his vision to Ghanaians on Wednesday, February 7, saying that implementing the system will prevent corruption from occurring in the first place.

In an article referred to as “Dr. Bawumia’s Speech: Turning an Impossibility into the Possibility?” Dr. Kwakye stated that the Inspector General will be expected to report directly to Parliament for further action to be taken on corruption and corruption-related topics or issues.

“In terms of preventing corruption before it occurs, we have suggested that Ghana adopt the US Inspector General (IG) system. The IG, who will be independent and report directly to Parliament, will be embedded in every MMDA and monitor all financial transactions within the MMDA. This will contribute to prevent most corruption from taking place. Since we are poor at prosecuting corruption, it would be best to prevent it from occurring in the first instance.”

He also called on the government to strengthen and resource anti-corruption institutions such as the OSP, EOCO, CHRAJ, NIB to enable them to function properly.

“Notwithstanding, I believe the accountable institutions—OSP, EOCO, CHRAJ, NIB—have an important role to play in fighting corruption. I will, therefore, call for them to be strengthened and resourced to carry out their mandate of investigating and prosecuting corruption to serve as a deterrent to potential culprits. But it has to be said that the surest way of fighting corruption is to start from the top.”

Mauricio Pochettino confesses he is not feeling the love from Chelsea supporters following a difficult start to his Stamford Bridge stay.

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Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he is yet to feel loved by Chelsea fans after a poor start to his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge.

The former Tottenham Hotspur coach has had a rocky start as Chelsea manager, with the Blues having lost 10 Premier League games in 23 outings and presently ranking 11th in the league.

Unlike most of his predecessors at the club, including managers such as Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel, and Antonio Conte, who have all been liked by the supporters, Pochettino said that he has yet to experience the affection of the fans, despite their admiration for the Argentine.

WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID

When Sky Sports asked if he felt the love of the Blues fans, the former Paris Saint-Germain coach said, “No, no, I need to be honest with you, no because I understand they were winning the Champions League, they won cups, the Premier League. Why are the fans going to love me after six, or seven months?

“We are in a final but we are not in a good position in the table in the Premier League. I think at the moment I feel the respect from the fans, I see them on the street and they are all nice to me, but I cannot lie.”

While the club’s performance has been below par in the league, they did manage to reach the final of the Carabao Cup where they are set to face Liverpool on February 25. They also recently beat Aston Villa 3-1 to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The Blues will aim to get back to winning ways on Monday as they take on an out-of-form Crystal Palace side in the Premier League.

‘Lionel Messi at the Olympics would be a dream.’ Thiago Almada ready to surrender captain’s armband to Inter Miami great if he joins Paris 2024 gold medal campaign.

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Lionel Messi has been given the captaincy of Argentina for the 2024 Olympics, with Thiago Almada calling it “a dream” to have the greatest player of all time on board.

Almada, an Atlanta United midfielder who plays with Inter Miami superstar Messi in MLS, captained the Albiceleste to a 1-0 triumph over archrivals Brazil.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Argentina have not claimed a gold medal since 2008, when Messi formed part of their squad in Beijing, and there is still a chance that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will commit to being an overage player in Javier Mascherano’s squad – although fellow World Cup winner Angel Di Maria will not be joining him.

WHAT ALMADA SAID ABOUT MESSI

Almada hopes ex-Paris Saint-Germain star Messi can be talked into a return to the French capital, telling Dsports of securing tickets to another showpiece event: “I am very happy for the group and the coaching staff, they deserve it. We showed that we were better throughout the tournament, always surpassing our opponent. We have time to train and to continue to improve for the Olympic games. I hope Messi has the desire and can be at the Olympic games, it would be a dream. If Messi comes, I’ll give him the captain’s armband, obviously. Now they are the ones who have to decide if they come.”

WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Part of the problem for Messi is that he is already lined up to represent his country at the 2024 Copa America, which will take place in the United States between June 20 and July 14. The Olympics start a couple of weeks later, meaning a quick turnaround for the veteran all-time great – who would also be taking time out from domestic action in MLS with Inter Miami.

Israel frees two prisoners; Gaza authorities claim airstrikes killed 67.

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Israel released two Israeli-Argentinian prisoners in Rafah on Monday under the cover of airstrikes that killed 67 Palestinians and injured others in the southern Gaza city, which is the final sanctuary for about a million displaced residents, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli military, the domestic Shin Bet security organisation, and the Special Police Unit in Rafah conducted a coordinated operation to rescue Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Hare, 70. They were among 250 individuals apprehended during Hamas militants’ Oct. 7 attack, which sparked Israel’s war on Gaza.

More than four months on, much of the densely-populated strip of land on the Mediterranean is in ruins, with 28,340 Palestinians dead and 67,984 wounded, according to Gaza health officials, who say many others are buried under rubble.

The Israeli military says 31 hostages have since died, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday’s rescue showed that military pressure should continue, brushing aside international alarm at its plans for a ground assault on Rafah.

“Fernando and Louis, welcome home,” he said, saluting the Israeli forces who rescued them. “Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages.”

The Gaza health ministry said 67 people had been killed overnight and the number could rise as rescue operations were under way. A Reuters journalist at the scene saw a vast area of rubble where buildings, including a mosque, had been destroyed.

“Why did you kill my family while they were sleeping? They are children. I’ve been collecting my family’s body parts since the morning, they were in parts, I couldn’t recognise them, I only recognised their toes or fingers,” said Ibrahim Hassouna as a woman knelt over the body of a young child nearby.

The hostages were being held on the second floor of a building that was breached with explosives during the raid, which saw heavy exchanges of gunfire with surrounding buildings, an Israeli military spokesman said.

“We’ve been working a long time on this operation,” Lt Col. Richard Hecht said. “We were waiting for the right conditions.”

The Argentinian government thanked Israel for the rescue of the two men, who it said were dual nationals of Argentina. A photograph showed them in hospital, sitting on a sofa alongside relatives and looking frail but relieved.

‘LAST PRAYERS’

Hassouna said his relatives were killed at least 4 km (2 miles) from the military operation.

“We were displaced from the north, we have nothing to do with anything. Why did you bomb us? Please justify.”

Israel’s military said airstrikes had coincided with the raid to allow its forces to be extracted.

People in Rafah said two mosques and several residential buildings were hit in more than an hour of strikes by Israeli warplanes, tanks and ships, causing widespread panic among Gazans woken from their sleep.

Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Hare reunite with loved ones at Sheba Medical Center, in Ramat Gan

[1/20]Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Hare, two Israeli hostages who, according to the Israeli military, were freed in a special forces operation in Rafah, Gaza, reunite with loved ones at Sheba Medical Center, in Ramat Gan, Israel. via Israel Defense Forces Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

“Death was so near as shells and missiles landed 200 meters from our tent camp,” Gaza businessman Emad, a father of six, told Reuters via a chat app. He said it was the worst night of bombing since they arrived in Rafah last month.

Some feared Israel had begun a long-expected ground offensive in the city, where more than a million people displaced by Israel’s war on Hamas are sheltering with nowhere else to go.

“Everyone said it was a surprise ground attack. My family and I said our last prayers,” Emad said.

A relative of one of the hostages said he had seen both freed men in hospital following their rescue and found them “a bit frail, a bit thin, a bit pale” but overall in good condition.

Idan Bejerano, Hare’s son-in-law, said the hostages had both been sleeping when “within a minute” the commandos were in the building and covering them as they fought the captors.

They were now being treated in Israel’s Sheba hospital, its director Prof Arnon Afek said.

Hamas said the attack on Rafah was a continuation of a “genocidal war” and forced displacement attempts Israel has waged against the Palestinian people.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, in the Oct. 7 incursion that sparked the war, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says Hamas has four battlaions in Rafah.

DUTCH COURT BLOCKS EXPORT OF FIGHTER JETS TO ISRAEL

Many Western leaders have expressed alarm at Israel’s offensive while continuing to support the country.

However, a Dutch appeals court said it had blocked the export of F-35 fighter jets parts to Israel over a “clear risk of violations of international humanitarian law” in its operations in Gaza. Israel’s Defence Ministry declined comment on the decision.

U.S. President Joe Biden told Netanyahu on Sunday that Israel should not start a military operation in Rafah without a credible plan to ensure the safety of the roughly 1 million people sheltering there, the White House said.

Biden said last week that Israel’s military response in the Gaza Strip had been “over the top” and expressed grave concern over the rising civilian death toll.

Aid agencies say an assault on Rafah would be catastrophic. Egypt has reinforced its border with the city, saying it fears Gazans will be pushed across, never to return.

An Israeli official has said people will be evacuated further north but its forces are also active in central Gaza. Palestinian medics said 15 people had been killed in an airstrike in the central town of Deir Al-Balah.

A senior Hamas leader said at the weekend that any Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would “blow up” hostage-exchange negotiations which have been gathering pace. Netanyhu said “enough” of the 132 remaining Israeli hostages were alive to justify the fight.

Mahama’s critique of WASSCE results lacks validity, says Akufo-Addo.

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President Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed concern with former President John Mahama’s questioning of the integrity of the recent West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination results.

Last year, the National Democratic Congress flagbearer said that certain invigilators were slack, allowing professors to help pupils answer problems, resulting in a large proportion of students passing the tests.

These statements came after Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum announced that the 2023 results were the best since 2015.

Mahama argued that cheating compromises the quality of education, stating, “You certify these children saying they are of this standard either the BECE or SSCE, and that child will use that certificate, go abroad to a school, and they will find out that your qualification is not up to the standard you say it is.”

But addressing the 187th speech and prize-giving day at Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast, President Akufo-Addo dismissed Mahama’s criticism as lacking merit.

He expressed regret that political dynamics led some, including Mahama, to question the results’ integrity without any foundation.

President Akufo-Addo emphasized the quality of education under the free senior high school program, citing the 2023 WASSCE results as evidence. He commended the “Akufo-Addo graduates,” noting that from 2020 to 2023, more than 50% of candidates obtained A1 to C6 in all core subjects, indicating a significant improvement in education quality.

“It is a pity though that the sad nature of aspects of contemporary Ghanaian politics drove some otherwise allegedly responsible people including your former President and current NDC Presidential candidate to question the integrity of the results happily without any foundation and to attribute these results to cheating.

“Students of Wesley Girls High School, do you cheat in examinations? This loud no will send a strong message to those who expressed these unfortunate, misguided sentiments.”

“The WASSCE results of the students I proudly call the Akufo-Addo graduates have shown that the quality of education has not deteriorated but on the contrary, it has improved significantly. The results of the Akufo-Addo graduates in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 are the only years in the past decade that show that more than 50% of the candidates obtained A1 to C6 in all core subjects.”

We will not support the EC’s suggestion to modify the election date. – Mahama

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The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has declared that the party would not accept the idea to move the 2024 elections from December to November.

“We [NDC] do not believe that this is being proposed in good faith,” he maintained.

The NDC flagbearer made the remarks while opening the Minority caucus meeting in Ho on Saturday (February 10).

Mr. Mahama said the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was sensing clear defeat, and had, therefore, begun scheming to undermine the credibility of the elections, such as the sudden interest by the Electoral Commission to shift the date of elections from December 7 to November 7, at a time it had not demonstrated readiness to conduct the general elections.

That lack of preparedness was clearly evident in the District Assembly elections held in December last year when elementary lapses and shocking logistical shortfalls painted a picture of a commission which was simply not able to undertake the task of managing elections, Mr Mahama said.

“All indications point to a resounding victory for the NDC in the 2024 elections and an unmistakable rejection of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government by the people of Ghana upon whom they have heaped very poor governance,” Mr Mahama added.

Further, he said, corruption, maladministration, nepotism, arrogance of power, incompetence, and gleeful waste of state resources by this government are all set to come to an end at the polls later this year, prompting the NPP to look for fraudulent means to twists the elections to favour them.

Continuous registration

“Regarding the issue of continuous registration, as canvassed by the Electoral Commission, we demand that the process must necessarily include a system that enables all political parties and relevant stakeholders to possess the capacity to monitor that exercise in real time, to avoid fraud and exploitation to the undue advantage of any party,” the NDC flag bearer insisted.

Mr Mahama commended the Minority in Parliament for living up to expectation by putting in valiant efforts to check the excesses of this government.

“The composition of this eighth Parliament under the Fourth Republic placed you at the centre of history and brought in its wake, a unique responsibility and burden of expectation never witnessed.

Mr Mahama reminded the caucus members not to lose sight of the fact that they, as the Minority in Parliament, had become the last bulwark between an overbearing, desperate and non-performing government, and the people.

“Ghanaians are counting on you to secure them against poor governance and keep this government in check” said Mr Mahama.

He noted that the people of Ghana decided to produce a hung Parliament in which none of the major parties had dominated the house in the recent past, with a clear advantage.

That unprecedented arrangement reflected years of demands by Ghanaians for a strong and assertive legislative arm of government that was truly independent of the excessively powerful executive, Mr Mahama stated.

He said it also reflected a desire for greater scrutiny of the executive and more efficient exercise of your oversight functions.

Meanwhile, the former president said the 24hour economy policy, which had found resonance with the generality of the people, together with the over sixty other policy options he had tabled, so far, would ensure an improvement in the living conditions of the people and bring back the severely damaged economy on track and pave the way for sustained prosperity for all, and not a selected few.

Ghana Card

Touching on the Ghana Card, Mr Mahama cautioned the Electoral Commission if it still hankers on it after disenfranchising sections of our population at all costs through a misguided insistence on its use as the only means of identification for registration, then it had better abandon that idea because we in the NDC will offer the stiffest resistance.

At the moment, the Ghana Card was being brandished more as a political tool around which all manner of schemes were being fashioned towards elections, he noted.

Mr Mahama insisted there was the need to allow sufficient time for its full integration into the way of life of Ghanaians before that kind of unhelpful exclusion of all other legitimately acquired, credible and time-tested forms of identification was implemented.

He said Ghana was now so yoked with arguably, the worst government in its history in the shape of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

“They have been so bad; their own poster boy is attempting an inexplicable and contriving separation between himself and happenings in the very government he was touted as the brain behind, for purely electoral purposes,” observed Mr Mahama.

He said from a position where they inherited an economy to which stability had been restored after a brief period of turbulence occasioned by unavoidable headwinds, NPP had squandered its way into a ditch from which it had become impossible to emerge without imposing deep suffering on the people.

None of our contractual mass sprayers suffers from impotence or blindness (COCOBOD).

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The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has denied charges that it did not provide enough medical treatment to its contracted mass cocoa sprayers due to the toxicity of the agrochemicals.

This follows concerns voiced by the Ghana National Association of Cocoa Farmers regarding the health issues of some of its members, who claim to be suffering from blindness and impotence as a result of long-term use of agrochemicals.

However, in an interview with Citi News, Fiifi Boafo, the head of COCOBOD’s public relations department, stated that the board performs monthly medical checks on contracted farmers participating in cocoa spraying.

He denied the allegations, stating that the Cocoa Clinic has not seen such symptoms in any of the contracted sprayers.

“We find it a bit surprising to hear these complaints because these are not complaints that we are aware of.”

“Let me put on record that for the spraying of cocoa farms, COCOBOD hires over 57,000 people every year who help the farmers with the spraying of their farms across the country. These persons, at the end of every session, apart from the fact that COCOBOD Research Institute goes round the country and takes samples and does an evaluation of the spraying that is done for the farmers, we also take some of them to the Cocoa Clinic for examination. So allegations that some people are suffering impotency and blindness are not things that the Cocoa Clinic has identified.”

Access Holdings Plc confirms death of its CEO, Dr Herbert Wigwe

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The Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc has confirmed the passing of Dr Herbert Wigwe, CFR, the Company’s founding Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and former Group Managing Director of its flagship subsidiary, Access Bank Plc. 

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, the Board of Access Holdings Plc said Dr Wigwe died alongside his wife and son on Friday, February 9, 2024, in a helicopter accident in the United States of America.

“The entire Access Family mourns the loss of Herbert, Doreen and Chizi. We extend our deep and sincere sympathies to his family and loved ones,” it said.

The statement said Dr Wigwe was a key driving force and a larger-than-life personality who brought his remarkable passion, energy, and experience to the transformation of the Access franchise since joining the Bank in 2002.

Commenting on the passage of Dr Wigwe, Mr Abubakar Jimoh, Chairman of Access Holdings said: “The Access Family has suffered a major loss with the passing of Dr Wigwe who was a great friend and fine gentleman. 

“He had a prodigious intellect, admirable personal qualities, and vast business experience which he brought to bear on the Access Family and for which we owe him a debt of gratitude. 

“We remain confident that the Access Group will build further on Dr Wigwe’s legacy of growth and operational excellence.”

Dr Wigwe was instrumental in the growth of Access Bank, which he co-founded with his friend and business partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. 

He took over as Access Bank Group CEO in 2014, focusing on the Bank’s expansion in Nigeria and Africa before taking the helm at Access Holdings in 2022. 

Under his leadership, Access Bank drove its African strategy to become Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest retail bank by customer base.

Mr Olumide Olatunji, Country Managing Director for Access Bank Ghana, said: “We are deeply saddened by the demise of Dr Herbert Wigwe, who was a man of many colours because of the exceptional impact he had on the growth of the banking industry and communities we serve.”

“As our first Board Chairman and a pan Africanist, Dr Wigwe was pivotal in nurturing and making the Access Bank franchise relevant in Ghana as a key development partner. His legacy will never be forgotten”.

Dr Wigwe was a member of the Access Bank UK board as well as the board of the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NiBUCAA). 

He has long been an advocate for the eradication of malaria in Africa, working with the Corporate Alliance on Malaria to support this objective. 

He also sat on the board of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company and Friends Africa and was an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Institute of Credit Administration.

A two-time winner of the African Banker of the Year award from the African Banker Awards, Dr Wigwe was a passionate advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which form the bedrock of Access Holdings’ growth strategy.

His academic credentials include a degree in Accounting from the University of Nigeria, an MA in Banking and Finance from the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University), and an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London. He also completed the Harvard Business School Executive Management Programme.

Dr Wigwe recently founded Wigwe University, Africa’s first ivy league institution dedicated to providing a world-class education and raising the next generation of fearless leaders.

Access Holdings Plc is a leading multinational financial services group that offers commercial banking, lending, payment, insurance, and asset management services. 

Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, Access Holdings operates through a network of more than 700 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 20 countries, and 60+ million customers.

Access transitioned into a holding company to drive rapid growth and become a full-scale ecosystem player offering interconnected services across customer needs. 

Established in 2022, Access Holdings Plc consists of the Access Bank Group; Access Pensions; a Payment and Switching Services Company; a Digital Lending Company, and an Insurance Brokerage Company. 

The banking vertical serves its various markets through four business segments: Retail, Business, Commercial and Corporate, and has enjoyed what is it arguably Africa’s most successful banking growth trajectory in the last eighteen years, becoming one of Africa’s largest retail banks by customer base and Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest bank by total assets.

Access Holdings strives to deliver sustainable economic growth that is profitable, environmentally responsible, and socially relevant, helping customers to access more and achieve their dreams.

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