Financier wins award in Lagos

Africa’s largest micro-financier, Blue Financial Services (Blue) has announced that its Nigerian venture with Intercontinental Bank has won the prestigious Platinum Award at the first African Quality Excellence Awards held in Lagos, Nigeria.frica’s largest micro-financier, Blue Financial Services (Blue) has announced that its Nigerian venture with Intercontinental Bank has won the prestigious Platinum Award at the first African Quality Excellence Awards held in Lagos, Nigeria.

Blue Intercontinental Microfinance Bank (BIMFB), one of the largest micro-finance banks in that country, won in the African Quality Microfinance Bank of the Year category.  The Awards event was hosted by the Institute of Certified International Quality Standards (ICIQS), based in Houston, Texas, USA; in collaboration with the Quality Management Institute of Nigeria, based in Lagos.  These awards are hailed as the first step in rewarding quality in the management of organisations, as well as the quality of their product and service offerings. This award from the ICIQS follows on the heels of the National Gold Quality Microfinance Bank 2009 Award issued by the Quality Management Institute of Nigeria to BIMFB in July 2009.
Blue believes that the work being undertaken by the ICIQS and the Quality Management Institute of Nigeria is of critical importance in ensuring increased quality in all aspects of business, with specific emphasis on proper governance, the promotion of transparency and customer service.  Across its operations, the Group places a lot of emphasis on total quality management and believes it critical to delivering ethical lending practices.
“These awards give us independent recognition that our approach to our business is appropriate.  Such a prestigious industry award is as a direct result of BIMFB’s continual focus on customer-centric innovation and commitment to creating pioneering solutions that meet customers’ needs.” said Mr. Len Pretorius, Managing Director, BIMFB, “In the future, BIMFB will continue making contributions to the development of quality financial services in this country.”
The ICIQS African Quality Excellence Awards’ ceremony was held after a lecture on Quality Management, Process Improvement and Organisational Excellence at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, in Ikeja, Lagos in mid-December 2009. This year’s awards comprised of many quality entries from public and private sectors, large and small enterprises, non-government organisations as well as individuals.