Access Bank and Project Enable Africa – a partnership success story

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Access Bank Plc. is a commercial bank operating through a network of more than 700 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 17 markets and 52 million customers. The Bank employs 28,000 people in its operations in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the United Kingdom (UK) – with an Access UK branch office in UAE, and representative offices in China, Lebanon, and India.

In August 2022, the bank hosted a breakfast roundtable aimed at establishing mutually rewarding partnerships between Sightsavers International and Nigerian private sector leaders – primarily to scale up disability-inclusive workplace cultures in Africa. The roundtable also facilitated discourses, strategies, and effective approaches to inclusive development as well as the protection of the human rights of persons with disabilities.

Since 2014, the bank has partnered with Project Enable Africa, supporting communities of persons with disabilities. In 2017, Access Bank co-created the first disability inclusion hub in Nigeria, focusing on digital inclusion of persons with disabilities. Also, the bank provided funding and organizational development support for programmes and institutional strengthening of Project Enable Africa.

In the past eight years, the support for Project Enable Africa has resulted in various positive outcomes, including: over 3,000 persons with disabilities and their caregivers trained in digital and employability skills; about 500 entrepreneurs with disabilities trained in entrepreneurship; over 60 organizations trained and supported to become disability-confident; about 50 media organizations trained in disability-inclusive reporting; strengthened the organizational capacity of Project Enable Africa to partner with other reputable organizations and raised over USD 500,000 in funding in eight years; hosted the annual Disability Inclusion And Leadership (DIAL) awards to celebrate achievement and progress made on disability inclusion; produced and screened three documentaries on the various challenges faced by persons with disabilities. These documentaries were also featured at international conferences such as the International AIDS Conference in Durban and the United Nations General Assembly side events in New York.