In a bid to contribute meaningfully to the development of education in Nigeria, the group continued the journey towards creating an enabling environment for learning in our schools by handing over the Stanbic IBTC Adopt a School program to Lagos State Government. The pilot project was in Lagos, with the adoption of the Lagos Progressive schools, (primary, junior and senior secondary) Surulere, with others being added as we progress.

Bizaids is an initiative of the Pan African Business Coalition which helps SMEs in mitigating against the economic effects of HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Standard Bank was the co-founder. Through this initiative we hope to make a contribution to improve quality of life and standards of living by creating sustainable businesses. Our contribution allows us to touch 1 000 people and add significant value to their lives.

We sponsored the international retreat on etiquette, protocol and administration for wives of all state governors in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Requested by the CEO as a means of capacity building within individual states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As part of our focus on education the bank donated funds towards the rehabilitation of the analytical services and livestock production at the University of Ibadan. The donation will contribute towards improving intellectual and socio-economic development of the university community and the society at large.

The Internal Audit department raised ₦180 000 for the Heart of Gold's Hospice for some urgently required items. The objective is to improve lives and or living conditions of the less privileged children in our society.
 

The bank sponsored the valedictory service and 10th year anniversary.

MSH requested a partnership agreement with the bank to help with their health systems strengthening initiative in Nigeria. MSH specifically required funding to run additional streams of their fellowship program as well as assistance with capacity building in certain areas of the program for example financial management and report writing.

The bank commenced a successful partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority "LAWMA", which culminated in the successful handover of the first batch of 100 compactors by the Executive Governor of Lagos State. These were financed through our Vehicle and Asset Finance department.

Health and wellness is one of the focus areas of the bank. The World Physiotherapy Day was held on 8 September 2011.

Standard Bank Group partnered with UN aids for the 2011 World aids day campaign (Getting to Zero. Zero new HIV infections. Zero discriminations and Zero aids related deaths). Nigeria was selected as one of the countries in which the campaign was launched. This project was divided into two parts (internal and external). The internal campaign included staff talks in order to educate our staff. The external part involved educating fifteen secondary schools across the country and included HIV/Aids status testing centers and counseling for the communities.

The police, especially, the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) have been partnering with us to combat fraud since 2004. In 2011, the bank contributed the sum of ₦3 million to cover the purchase of laptops, Internet facilities, fourteen volumes of Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and weekly law reports. By assisting the Nigerian Police Force we contribute to safety and security of communities.
 

Maria Sam Foundation is a non-governmental organisation that was conceived as an avenue to create awareness on the benefits of screening, early detection and prevention of cancer, HIV/ aids and other terminal ailments. The bank supported this cause by contributing towards sending five doctors to the U.S. for medical training.
 

The Federal Government of Nigeria introduced the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria programme as a means to provide financial support for the expansion of youth owned businesses while encouraging the development of business ideas that would lead to job creation. This programme seeks to empower young people and re-direct them towards adding value to themselves and society with strong, positive messages. The bank believes that the future of Nigeria lies in the desire of the youth to change thinking and attitudes in the society.

The Vehicle and Asset Finance unit embarked on a charity project with the theme "we care for our children". The objective was to improve lives and living conditions of the less privileged children in our society. A visit to the Heart of Gold Children Hospice resulted in meeting a young lady who was in need of corrective eye surgery. A sum of  $7 000 was required for this surgery to cover all expenses.

A brainchild of the South African High Commission in Nigeria, the objective is to create a sense of belonging and responsibility among girls. The bank in support of Nigeria's ratification of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), supported the project again this year, and was responsible for the re-orientation of twenty undergraduates of the University of Lagos.

During 2011 the University of Ibadan was affected by a devastating flood which resulted to many losses in various areas within the school. Stanbic IBTC who are passionate about education donated towards alleviating some of the losses suffered. Education is one of the areas the bank is willing to partner with stakeholders as a form of giving back to society.

As part of the banking value proposition for women, the bank signed a training agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group to support the bank with their training programs designed to improve the management skills of business owners. The SME team identified twenty existing high value female SME customers to receive the Business Edge training to help them build capacity and grow their business.
 

The bank supported WISCAR for the graduation of the second stream of mentees in December 2011. This investment will contribute to the ideal of developing women to create a better nation.

The bank's involvement in the 17th edition of NES underscores an in-depth interest in creating an enabling environment, conducive to good governance, responsible private sector investment and sustainable economic growth and development. The aim is to achieve economic liberalization, deregulation, public sector reforms, an improved investment climate, transparency in governance and public and private partnerships.

The roundtable was held under the patronage of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Niger Delta, industry players, international organisations and the diplomatic community. The aim is to strengthen current and proposed relationships with these stakeholders. The bank's sponsorship supports the objective to promote responsible hydrocarbon exploitation in the Niger Delta.

Hosted by the Ministry of Trade and Investment, this is a one day workshop involving various stakeholders in the agro-allied industries.
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