In 2002, we carried out a series of in-depth interviews, retreat sessions and soul searching activities across a wide cross section of Access Bank employees to identify our values. This was done as part of the process to transform the organization into a world class institution. The outcome from these sessions confirmed our values; it showed that they were shared and important to all employees regardless of their roles. The result also showed that as employees we are innovative, problem-solvers, passionate about customers, we deliver on promises and take pride in our work. These values are consistent and aligned with our mission.
This insight formed the basis of the creation of our core set of values underpinning everything we do. Our values personify what we stand for, and are the basis for the behaviour of our employees.

Value 1: Excellence
We strive to attain and exceed the highest possible standards through our passionate and painstaking attention to details.

Our vision to transform Access Bank is a continuous journey. Every employee is expected to know the importance of serving with excellence, whether it's dealing with a customer's query, manning the gates, or working at the service counter, we have to get it right the first time - The Access Bank depends on you.

Below are testimonies of excellence at Access Bank written by Aig to celebrate feats of excellence demonstrated by various departments at different times: "Kudos to the guys in our Information Technology Group. HP awarded Access Bank PLC as the single best implementation of a core banking infrastructure in West Africa. The implementation by Access Bank has been selected as an international best practices reference to be profiled by the Financial Times of London newspaper. Specific mention was made of Tek Koroye and Sina Joseph"

This is what our vision is all about:
"The power and freedom to choose to write your own story, to choose to make history! Well done guys I"m proud to be one of us."
To live up to our value of excellence, each of us must realize and understand that the impact of what we do each day reaches far beyond our place of work - that our contributions are essential to the vision of the bank and the goals of our customers.
It requires you being solution-focused, taking ownership of the things you are responsible for, striving to exceed expectations and finding new ways to be better contributors.

Value 2: Teamwork
We hold the interest of the team above those of the individual, while showing mutual respect for all employees and sharing information throughout the organization.
Being part of the team is what makes the whole more than the sum of the parts and provides the needed synergy.
Imagine a football team of 11 players on the field, with each player thinking that as the star player they don't need to pass the football to any other player. There is no way that football team will win the match. A football match is illustrative of the way we are required to work as a cohesive unit with a common goal. At Access Bank we are One Global Team!

Below is an excerpt of the mail sent by Aigboje on how we all came together to merge three institutions:

"Please join me as I congratulate all of us on the successful completion of our post merger integration project. The power, stamina, intellect, team work and other values that typify what we stand for at Access Bank have once again been tested and once more by the Grace of The Almighty we have passed with flying colours. It is quite gratifying to see the look on people's faces when they say "now that the merger is complete how are you going to face the 18 month post merger integration nightmare" And we answer "We have already finished post merger integration!"
"Well done to ALL who have put themselves on the line, special mention must be made of the fantastic spirit displayed by the Account Opening Team, the resilience displayed by the Employee Management Team, the aggression displayed by those who beat the Branch Renovation deadline, the commitment of our staff at Idejo Branch, the leadership demonstrated by the Line Managers etc. You are true Access Bank Warriors! Our culture of teamwork means you must know the importance of being a good team player. It's about people working together as a team with a shared vision of a common goal for the betterment of your unit as a starting point."

If you see an opportunity to take the team to the next level -- perhaps the need to change an operating procedure or the products we provide"then you need to act to make that improvement a reality. Your team counts on you to find better ways to execute our goals, this helps drive us toward our vision.

Value 3: Ethics
Our operations are transparent and we always comply with all applicable laws and regulations wherever we have a presence. We ensure that our decisions are based purely on business interests.

At Access Bank, we do not compromise on our principles and values when faced with difficult situations and circumstances. For instance, regardless of the pressure and "seeming financial benefits", we will stand true to this value and maintain our ethical standards.

Our ethics and uncompromising stand has won us a number of cherished awards. Listed below are a few of such awards:

Awards/Recognition Year

Value 4: Trust
We have total confidence in one another. We will work tirelessly to earn the faith, loyalty and confidence of our customers. To this end, we will always deliver on contracts, promises, agreements, undertakings and assurances. Trust is very fragile while it takes a lifetime to build; it takes only a moment to destroy.

When you make an appointment to meet with a customer at 9am, the customer is trusting that you would be true to your word and that you will be there on time. Failure to deliver causes a strained relationship with the customer, who has the choice of going elsewhere. Our customers are not compelled to bank with us but they have chosen to trust us with their money. They have chosen to trust us to do a better job with their money than our competitors would. We have to do our utmost best to ensure that we do not abuse or misplace this trust. If we do, this could have serious consequences on our reputation as a Bank.

Trust is fragile and it is not cheap. Building and sustaining trust requires integrity, patience, altruism, vulnerability, action, friendship, character, competence and judgment on our part.

Value 5: Passion for the Customer
Our customers always come first. We are expected to get to know and develop a deep understanding of them, approaching them with a positive 'can do' attitude and responding creatively to their needs. We have numerous commendations for our sterling customer service.

This is an excerpt of an e-mail from a staff of the bank to Executive Management.

"The payment of Retirees at the NPA Sports Complex, Surulere, was very successful! Not only was the process seamless, we recorded 90% retention of the N790 million paid out.

The retirees were impressed with the arrangements, made to receive them. They were thrilled with the quality and efficiency of the service. The retirees testified that this was the first time they were receiving prompt services. Most of the cheques we did not get back today would come back as the beneficiaries opened accounts with us but only wanted to take the cheques home to show their loved ones. They promised to go and deposit them in any of our branches. Our marketing team would follow up on them. They already have their account numbers".

Customers are the only reason why we are in business. We are never to lose sight of the role our customers play in the longetivity of the Bank. Excellent customer service is our top priority and it is non " negotiable.

Value 6: Continuous Learning
We are dedicated to continuous growth and career development. This principle is applied at all levels and across all functions. Learning is a significant and continuous element of the Access experience. During your career, you will develop valuable skills, gain industry insight, learn from colleagues, and contribute to a dynamic environment.

In Access Bank, all fresh graduates attend a four months" boot camp popularly called ELTP (Entry Level Training Program) at the Access Bank School of Banking Excellence (the name for our training facility). The ELTP is a very rigorous programme that prepares the trainees for the challenges ahead of concurring territories. The training programme includes 14 weeks class room course covering Understanding Banking Operations, International Trade Finance, Credit Analysis, Accounting, etc. The expectation is that all trainees are to have a minimum pass mark of 65% in their courses to graduate.

The remaining 2 weeks is spent immersing them in the Access Way of doing things, creating empowered and highly skilled professionals who will never compromise on integrity or ethical standards.

Since its inception in 2003, the school has graduated 53 classes of 1,167 trainees from Nigeria, Cote D"Ivoire and Rwanda representing 81% of the total number of persons who were admitted into the program. The training centre is being upgraded to a full scale learning and development university campus.

Access Bank PLC conducts periodic tests for its employees so as to ensure continued and sustained competence at all levels. The Access Bank's approach to continuous learning and development is to create an environment where everyone can aspire to be 'the best they can be'. It is a collaborative effort between the organization and individuals. Access Bank will provide learning opportunities while the knowledge you gain from reading, asking questions, exploring, researching is priceless.

Expected Behaviours
We have gone through our vision and mission and we now understand the 6 principles we are compelled to live by. These principles are a composite unit. In effect breaking any of these one of these means you have defaulted on all six!

Implications of Our Core Values