AN ADDRESS BY RASHEED OLAOLUWA
MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO BANK OF INDUSTRY ON THE OCCASION OF ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFICATION OF THE BANK OF INDUSTRY, JULY 23, 2015
Protocols
Gentlemen of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Board, Management and Staff of the Bank of Industry (BOI), I welcome you very warmly to this ceremony, to mark the International ISO 9001:2008 Certification of the Bank of Industry.
In 2014, we developed a five-year Strategic Plan 2015-2019 under which our vision is “to become the leading development finance institution in Africa, operating under global best practices.”
Global best practices imply operational efficiency, customer service excellence and quality management system. Our rigorous search for the best partner to lead BOI through the journey to certification of our quality management systems led to the appointment of DQS Management Systems Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of DQS Holdings Gmbh, Germany, and a leading certification body with global recognition in 2014. DQS Group has 80 offices in more than 60 countries.
DQS auditors were very meticulous and rigorous in their review and evaluation. They insisted on only the highest standards in all our engagements. We thank them for their value-adding and professional service.
The ISO 9001:2008 is accepted worldwide as the standard that defines quality. It sets the criteria for quality management system and provides the necessary framework to improve operational efficiency, minimize risk and optimize opportunities.
To achieve this certification, BOI has had to overhaul our processes, procedures and systems to meet global standards. It was a very rigorous and painstaking process involving every BOI staff and director. There were several aspects of our policies and procedures that required significant amendments that had to be reviewed, discussed and approved by the Bank’s board of directors. We have instituted a bank-wide set of systems and procedures that will ensure efficient utilization of resources and quality service delivery, thereby promoting optimal performance on all fronts.
We have established a Customer Service Department, developed and launched a Customer Service Charter, we have held regional customer interactive sessions, held town hall meetings with all staff, upgraded our facilities, established more state offices, upgraded our banking application, commenced the automation of our processes, launched an SME App, an Online Loan Application Portal, and a Loan Tracking System, etc, etc.
At the end of the day, we are very pleased, that BOI has finally achieved the objective of ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems Certification, consistent with one of the key strategic objectives under our five-year Strategic Plan. We have the honour of being the first and only Nigerian DFI to become ISO 9001:2008 certified. With this certification, our operating paradigm has shifted to a higher level of global standards and best practices. We have embraced excellence and quality in all aspects of our operations.
I know that the journey towards this certification has been very demanding. Our staff have been called upon to give more of their times, late evenings, and sometimes, even weekends. I therefore want to especially commend and also congratulate all my colleagues, the management and staff of BOI for a job well done! I am very grateful to our Board of Directors for their support, advice and guidance.
Our customers and partners can expect steadfast commitment to customer service excellence and ongoing developmental impact in Nigeria’s real sector.
We have commenced an SME cluster development initiative to deepen our offerings to SMEs in various clusters across Nigeria. In this regard, we introduced the Cottage Agro Processing (CAP) Fund for the Agro Processors of farm produce such as cassava, plantain, groundnut, shearnuts, etc.
We also introduced NollyFund to support Nigeria’s lending and promising movie producers. Many more products and funds are being developed for other clusters such as Furniture, Fashion, Aquaculture, Leather, etc.
We are determined to support Nigeria’s real sector; to make a difference in the financing and support of our SMEs.
You will recall that BOI also in 2014, got a national rating of A- from Agusto & Co and more recently in June 2015, a National Rating of AA+ from Fitch Ratings.
We are firmly and surely on the path to realizing our vison of becoming the leading development finance institution in Africa.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Rasheed Olaoluwa
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer
