L-R: Alexandra Celestin, Regional Industry Manager, IFC Financial Institutions Group, Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa; Njideka Esomeju, Head, Retail Banking, Access Bank PLC; Dr. Gregory Jobome, Executive Director, Risk Management, Access Bank PLC; Dahlia Khalifa, IFC Regional Director, Central Africa and Anglophone West African, and Amaechi Okobi, Chief Communication Officer Access Holdings PLC, after presentation of IFC EDGE Certification of Access Tower to Access Bank at its Headquarters in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos…recently.
By Chidi Ugwu
Access Bank PLC (Access Bank), a leading African bank, has received the IFC EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Green Building’s Certification for its banking headquarters, called Access Tower, located in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos.
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The EDGE Green Building certification program, supported by the Japan Government in Nigeria and globally funded by the UK Government’s Department for Energy Secunty and Net Zero (DESNZ), with initial funding from Switzerland’s State Secretanat for Economic Affairs, SECO, recognises Access Bank’s commitment to sustainable building practices and its efforts to reduce energy consumption, water usage, and embodied carbon in building matenals.
Access Bank’s Head Office has achieved a 20per cent reduction in energy use, a 33per cent reduction in water use, and a 99 per cent reduction in embodied carbon in materials. The building features sustainability measures such as insulated roof, highperformance glass, fresh air pre-conditioning system, smart meters for energy, waterefficient faucets in bathrooms and kitchen, efficient water closets and low embodied carbon materials reflecting Access Bank’s commitment to environmental responsibility. The building implemented retrofits to meet the EDGE water standard by installing flow regulators in all their water closets, faucets and showers. These reductions in energy, water, and embodied carbon are expected to result in significant cost savings and a teduced environmental footprint for the Head Office.
Commenting on this feat, Gregory Jobome, Executive Director, Risk Management at Access Bank, said: “At Access Bank, we have always understood that our purpose goes far beyond banking. We are architects of change, custodians of the future, and now. we stand proudly at the intersection of finance and environmental leadership. This building and this certification embody our vision to set a new standard for building, operating, and growing responsibly.
“Our collaboration with the EEN team was transformational. and together. we have shown that environmental performance and business performance are not rivals, but partners. We believe that in that partnership les the future of banking, the future of corporate Africa, and ultimately, the future of our planet.”
The EDGE certification is a globally recognised standard for green buildings, designed to make buildings more resource efficient. The certificaton process involves a ngorous assessment of a building’s design and construction, including independent third-party audits, ensunng that it meets the highest standards of sustainability.
IFC’s EDGE program aims to promote green building practices globally by providing a standardised approach to designing and certfying resource-efficient buildings. The program has been utilised in nearly 200 countnes. with over 100 million square metres in certified floor space, enabling developers worldwide to create buildings that reduce energy use, water consumption, and embodied carbon.
Globally, IFC collaborates with financiers. governments, developers. and building owners to accelerate green buikding development in emergng markets. In Nigeria, cumulatively, over 800,000 square meters of offices. homes. hospitals, retail stores, student accommodation, hotels, and mixed use projects are EDGE-certified.
IFC is a member of the World Bankts the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries.
In fiscal year 2024, IFC committed a record $56 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions, and mobilising private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet.
