Union Bank Releases 2021 Citizenship, Sustainability, Innovation Report

Union Bank, a leading financial institution, has today published the sixth edition of its annual Citizenship, Sustainability, and Innovation (CSI) report, which provides an update on the bank’s initiatives in the environmental, social, and economic sectors for 2021. 

This year’s report, like previous editions, highlights Union Bank’s ongoing efforts to positively impact the people and communities it serves through sustainable and responsible business practices, while also driving innovation.

In 2021, the bank concentrated on community-led projects that directly impacted the lives of over 250,000 Nigerians in 20 communities across the country’s six geopolitical zones. Infrastructure support, education, health, and general safety were all addressed in these initiatives. 

Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Union Bank, said about the report’s release: “Support for our communities is a top priority for us at Union Bank. As this report indicates, we made significant progress on several impact-driven initiatives that underscore our values, going beyond our beneficiary list for the previous years. In addition to employee-led volunteer projects, we also witnessed great advancement in gender equality and inclusiveness through our various programs and partnerships. I am proud of the work we do for our stakeholders through corporate responsibility and our innovative approach to furthering sustainability. We remain committed to driving social impact for our people.”

The number of solar-powered branches and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) increased from 111 and 407 respectively in 2020 to 143 and 507 for the year under review, demonstrating the bank’s giant strides toward embracing clean energy and reducing its environmental footprint. The report also covered Union Bank’s successful launch of a future-forward technological hub called SpaceNXT, which was a major milestone in the innovation space. A purpose-built space for the Nigerian tech ecosystem to foster entrepreneurship, learning, and co-creation.

Union Bank’s position as a leading proponent of sustainability and responsible corporate business practices is reaffirmed in the latest report. Some sections of this report were prepared in accordance with the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBPs) and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while others were prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard, emphasizing the bank’s commitment to accountability and transparency when reporting its initiatives.