Stanbic IBTC Bank, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, in line with its contributions to an improved healthcare sector in the country, has upgraded its short-term loan solution within the healthcare value chain.



This upgrade ensures a flexible repayment period, with affordable interest rate and zero collateral to enable sector players access better financing and achieve optimal service delivery.

The healthcare short-term loan, which now offers a longer tenor of 12 months, affordable interest rate and zero collateral will foster more investment in the sector and enhance strategic relationships to generate new businesses.

Speaking at the Medic West Africa Conference, Jane Ike-Okoli, Head, Specialized Sectors, Stanbic IBTC Bank, noted that effective collaboration between the financial institutions and healthcare organizations is key to advancing Nigeria’s health sector.

She advised financial institutions to be more intentional about complementing the government’s efforts. She said, “Stanbic IBTC has a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare industry and its intricacies. This knowledge inspires us to continue to design innovative yet affordable solutions to boost healthcare businesses across the country.”

According to her, despite Nigeria being Africa’s largest healthcare market, challenges in the health sector include inadequate healthcare infrastructure and insufficient financing.  “Stanbic IBTC is passionate about driving change, hence our partnership with key stakeholders in the healthcare sector to improve access to healthcare finance. We achieve this by offering flexible funding options for healthcare businesses and providers and strategically partnering with the players in the healthcare ecosystem.

“Our healthcare solutions are tailor-made for businesses in the sector who need working capital to expand healthcare operations, acquire medical equipment, facilitate medical research, and ultimately grow their healthcare businesses,” she stated.

Babatunde Akindele, Head, Coverage, Commercial Clients, Stanbic IBTC Bank, also stated that the newly improved healthcare short-term loan is a necessary investment.



“Healthcare is a basic need that everyone should access easily. The pandemic has increased the pressure on the health sector by revealing the urgent need to expand healthcare facilities. Stanbic IBTC has taken yet another step in the right direction to improve healthcare infrastructure and enable qualitative service delivery, which will restore the hope of many Nigerians,” he said.



The growth of the Nigerian healthcare sector rests on impactful and innovative finance solutions positioned to create a level playing field for businesses to thrive. Stanbic IBTC has said it remains committed to blazing the trail in this regard.

A new loan to Olam Agri, one of the world’s leading agribusinesses, will support the delivery of millions of tons of staple foods to developing countries, potentially feeding over 40 million people at a time of heightened food insecurity around the world.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets, has agreed to provide a loan of up to US$200 million to Olam Agri, the food, feed, and fiber agribusiness subsidiary of Singapore-based Olam Group.

The loan will be used to finance the purchase of wheat, maize, and soy from Canada, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, and the United States for delivery to the company’s processing operations and customers in developing countries that rely heavily on imports of these staple foods. These include Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Thailand, and Turkey.

The project is part of IFC’s global efforts to address food insecurity, especially for poor and vulnerable populations that have been hit hard by food inflation. Food prices have risen significantly over the last two years, driven by the impacts of COVID-19, adverse climate events, and the war in Ukraine.

The number of food-insecure people in the world has been rising every year since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than half of countries globally experiencing a worsening situation. An estimated 928 million people were severely food insecure in 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, an increase of 148 million from 2019.

The situation has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which has impacted exports from the Eastern European country and Russia, which collectively produce a large share of key food commodities including wheat and maize as well as energy, fertilizer, and key components of fertilizer production, resulting in rising production and transportation costs.

Poor climate conditions and droughts in key producing countries including Argentina, Brazil, and the United States have worsened the outlook, driving calls for action from the public and private sectors.

In furtherance of its role in promoting female entrepreneurship across the country, Nigeria’s premier banking institution and leading financial inclusion services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has announced the launch of the FirstGem fund (FirstGem loan); a single-digit loan scheme, exclusively designed to put women at an advantage in contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.



The FirstGem loan scheme is designed for female-owned or partnered SMEs in the following sectors Food/Beverage processing & Packaging, Beauty and cosmetics, Confectionaries, Catering & Restaurants, Transportation (Logistics) and Agric/Agro-Allied (retail value chain). With an interest rate of 9% per annum, FirstGem loan is a collateral-free loan that is available to the bank’s existing and prospective female customers. Based on eligibility, customers can access loans from N500,000.00 to N3,000,000.00.

To access the loan, Female owned or partnered SMEs can visit the Bank’s website – https://www.firstbanknigeria.com/personal/loans/more-financing-options/firstgem-funds/ – to download and fill out the Retail Loan Application Form. The completely filled form should be submitted to the nearest FirstBank branch with accompanying documents.

Speaking on the loan Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said, “we are delighted with the role our FirstGem product plays in creating an avenue to enlarge the business activities and endeavours of female entrepreneurs across the country. Our FirstGem value proposition offers real solutions to constraints encountered by female entrepreneurs and working professionals, as it exposes women to opportunities for the advancement of their business. We implore every female business-minded individual to take advantage of the FirstGem loan as it puts them at an advantage to contribute their quota to the national economy.”

Launched in 2016, FirstGem has been impactful in driving financial inclusion, influencing women’s empowerment through gender-advancement programmes like savings culture, financial literacy, wealth management and building an investment portfolio. FirstGem is designed specifically to meet the needs of the female gender, aged 18 years and above.


FirstGem is targeted at a broad spectrum of women, working professionals, entrepreneurs or market women through an array of benefits such as free business advisory services, access to finance, specialized training on business development initiatives (virtual and physicalevents), regular insights on business / investment opportunities. and mouth-watering discounts at partner merchant outlets (spas, salons, grocery stores) offering lifestyle products and services.


Recently, FirstBank announced its partnership with CDC Group, the UK Government’s development finance organisation to economically empower women-owned and led businesses as well as local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. The facility, which is in the sum of US$100 million will have a minimum of 30% allocated in the form of credit lines to women entrepreneurs.