Fidelity Bank Plc has won the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Service Ambassadors Award for recording the highest impact in expanding access to formal credit for first-time Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.

The award recognises the Deposit Money Bank that has successfully onboarded previously unbanked or credit excluded Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across Nigeria, reflecting Fidelity Bank’s sustained commitment to deepening financial inclusion, improving access to credit and supporting enterprise growth.

Speaking on the recognition, Divisional Head, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises Banking, Fidelity Bank Plc, Ugochi Osinigwe, expressed appreciation to DBN and reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to the growth of small and medium-scale businesses across the country.

Osinigwe said: “We sincerely thank the Development Bank of Nigeria for this recognition, which affirms the impact of our work in expanding access to finance for MSMEs, especially businesses accessing formal credit for the first time.

Polaris Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to youth development, education, financial literacy, and social responsibility by supporting a Media Practitioners’ Capacity Building Programme held on Thursday.

The event pioneered by the Nigerian Online Media Alliance (NOMA), a coalition of digital media publishers and journalists, was to commemorate the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

As part of its contribution to the successful hosting of the programme, the bank donated a variety of branded gift items, including cable chargers, water bottles, umbrellas, piggy banks, and mathematical sets.

The branded water bottles, umbrellas, and cable chargers were distributed to journalists and participants at the event, providing useful tools for everyday use. The piggy banks were designed to encourage savings culture and financial discipline among young people, while the mathematical sets were presented to participating students to support learning and academic excellence.

The programme themed: “Responsible Media, Drug-Free Nigeria: The Journalist’s Role in Prevention and Advocacy,” was organized by NOMA in collaboration with the International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP Nigeria), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba.

Speaking on the bank’s support, Chairperson of the Nigerian Online Media Alliance (NOMA), Theresa Moses, expressed profound appreciation to Polaris Bank for partnering with the association in advancing initiatives that positively impact education and society.

According to her, the bank’s gesture underscored its dedication to community development, youth empowerment, and national progress.

“We are sincerely grateful to Polaris Bank for supporting this important programme with branded gift items. Beyond their practical value, these items represent the bank’s commitment to education, financial literacy, youth development, and social impact. Their support contributed significantly to the success of this event,” she said.

The event attracted journalists, media executives, public health professionals, policymakers, anti-drug advocates, students, and representatives of government agencies who gathered to discuss strategies for strengthening media advocacy against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

Through expert presentations and panel discussions, participants explored the critical role of responsible journalism in promoting prevention, raising public awareness, reducing stigma, and supporting efforts to build healthier and safer communities.

Polaris Bank’s support aligns with its longstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility initiatives focused on education, financial inclusion, youth development, and community empowerment.

By supporting the NOMA Media Practitioners’ Capacity Building Programme, Polaris Bank has once again demonstrated its belief that collective action, education, and awareness are critical to building a drug-free Nigeria and empowering citizens to make informed choices for a better future.

Stakeholders at the programme commended the bank for its continued investment in initiatives that promote positive social values and contribute to national development.

The organizers noted that partnerships between the private sector and civil society organizations remain essential in addressing societal challenges and creating opportunities for sustainable impact.

Access Bank has set Saturday, July 4, 2026 to host its annual UK Polo Day in Windsor, an event when judged by past editions, promises to be one of the season’s most captivating social experiences.

The guest list is a true global roll call, bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, public sector leaders, and cultural influencers, from around the world. It is the kind of setting where a brief exchange over lunch can swiftly evolve into a strategic partnership by day’s end.

But beyond the prominence of those in attendance lies a deeper significance: the collective impact their presence is helping to drive, far beyond Windsor, and thousands of miles away in Northern Nigeria.

The Access Bank UK Polo Day has always carried a philanthropic dimension. This year, that dimension takes centrestage. Proceeds from the event will go directly towards the construction of additional classroom blocks in underserved communities across Northern Nigeria, a region where the gap between school-age children and available learning spaces remains one of the most stubborn obstacles to progress.

For many families in these communities, a classroom is not a given; it is a luxury. Access Bank has been changing that. The numbers tell a familiar and troubling story. Millions of children across Nigeria’s north remain out of school, some because of distance, some because of poverty, and many simply because there is no building to go to.

Bricks and mortar matter. A classroom block does not just give children somewhere to sit; it signals to a community that their children’s futures are worth investing in. It draws teachers. It gives girls a reason, and a safer route, to stay in education. It plants something durable in a place that often feels forgotten by the institutions that should be paying attention. This is the logic behind Access Bank’s commitment.

Access Bank has long recognised that financial inclusion and human development are not parallel pursuits, but one continuous journey. A resilient economy cannot be built on an undereducated workforce, nor can a generation be empowered without first equipping it with the tools to learn. In that sense, the classroom blocks being funded through this year’s Polo Day represent more of a deliberate investment in long-term economic growth than a humanitarian gesture.

What started as a polo fixture has grown into something harder to categorise: part networking forum, part celebration of what African enterprise looks like on a global stage. For Access Bank, the day has become one of the clearest expressions of what the institution is actually trying to do: make it easier for capital, talent, and ideas to move across borders, and to ensure that the benefits of that movement reach communities that rarely appear on an investor’s map.

This year’s event arrives at a moment when those connections feel more urgent than ever. Trade corridors are shifting. Development finance is being redirected. And the institutions best positioned to lead are those that already have trusted relationships and the credibility to match.

Access Bank has spent the better part of two decades building those relationships. The Polo Day is where they show up in person. Windsor lends the occasion its own particular atmosphere. A short drive from London but removed enough from the city to encourage the kind of unhurried conversation that rarely happens in a boardroom, it is a fitting setting for an event that has always been as much about relationship-building as it is about sport.

Jamie Simmonds, Managing Director of The Access Bank UK, was direct about what the day means: “Every year, we bring together an extraordinary community of leaders from across the world. People come to strengthen relationships, explore new possibilities, and contribute to something that matters. What matters most is the chance to make a real, lasting difference in the lives of young Nigerians who simply need a place to learn.”

For Nigerian observers, the symbolism is hard to miss. A bank founded on Nigerian soil is using one of England’s most prestigious social calendars to raise money for classrooms in Kaduna. That is not a small thing; it is a statement about where Access Bank believes its obligations lie, to shareholders and regulators as well as communities that made it possible in the first place.

The matches will be played. The conversations will happen. And somewhere in Northern Nigeria, a child will eventually walk into a classroom that did not exist before July 4, 2026.