… Grows Green Assets to ₦92.14 Billion, Cuts Emissions by 28.47% – Sustainability Report
By Rashidat O. Okunlade, Lagos
Access Holdings Plc has published its 2025 Sustainability Report, revealing significant progress in its transition from scale to value, with measurable outcomes in climate action, inclusive finance, and gender-lens lending across its pan-African operations.
The report, filed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, shows a green asset portfolio of ₦92.14 billion, a 28.47 per cent reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions against its 2022 baseline, and expanded access to finance for approximately 2.53 million low-income individuals.
Green Assets Surge Toward ₦475 Billion Target
The green asset portfolio has grown substantially from ₦22 billion in 2021 and ₦72.32 billion in 2024 to ₦92.14 billion at year-end 2025, advancing steadily toward the Group’s long-term target of ₦475 billion.
During the year, Access Holdings deployed ₦72.3 billion under its Sustainable Finance Framework to eligible environmentally beneficial projects and grew its cumulative sustainability-focused loan book to US$1.269 billion. Access Bank Plc, the Group’s largest subsidiary, accounts for a significant portion of these outcomes.
Emissions Reduction Driven by Solarisation
The 28.47 per cent emissions reduction reflects operational changes designed to lower the Group’s environmental footprint. Operational emissions fell to 49,352 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 57,176 tonnes in 2024, supported primarily by branch solarisation across 263 locations and the deployment of 323 solar-powered ATMs, largely across Access Bank in Nigeria.
The Group applies the operational-control approach under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, accounting for emissions across its African footprint, with Access Bank representing the largest share.
Inclusive Finance and Gender-Lens Lending
Beyond environmental outcomes, the report highlights the Group’s contribution to inclusive economic participation. In 2025, Access Holdings extended access to finance to 2,528,117 low-income individuals and onboarded 78,438 new MSMEs onto its financing platform. Across the Group, 2.8 billion transactions were processed during the year, underscoring the institution’s role as core financial infrastructure for Africa’s real economy.
Gender-lens lending also progressed, with 354,156 loans extended to women and women-owned businesses, totalling ₦67.4 billion, equivalent to 24 per cent of the relevant loan portfolio.
Social Impact and Employee Engagement
The Group’s Corporate Social Investment programmes reached 2,439,480 beneficiaries across education, health, entrepreneurship, and the environment, delivered with partners including UNICEF, HACEY Health Initiative, and the Kenya Forest Service.
Employees recorded 359,500 volunteer hours with 100 per cent participation, while more than 50,000 trees were planted. The Group notes that 2025 community figures follow a Board-mandated tightening of its impact-measurement methodology and are not directly comparable with prior years.
Women represent 49 per cent of the workforce, and the Access Holdings Board comprised nine directors with 44.4 per cent female representation. Employee satisfaction rose to 87 per cent against an 80 per cent target, while attrition eased from approximately 13 per cent to approximately 11 per cent.
Rigorous Reporting Standards
To strengthen credibility and comparability, the report was prepared using the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (IFRS S1 and IFRS S2) as the primary framework, with the GRI Standards (2021) and SASB Standards applied as complementary references. Selected disclosures were independently assured by CSR-in-Action Consulting Limited under ISAE 3000 (Revised) on a hybrid reasonable and limited assurance basis.
Sustainability Governance and Financing
Sustainability governance is integrated into senior oversight and credit decision-making. The Board Human Resources and Sustainability Committee oversees the agenda, supported by the Board Risk Management Committee. Climate and ESG risk is reflected in capital planning through the ICAAP, while an ESG Toolkit is embedded in the credit-approval system, enabling facilities to be screened against IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles.
The Group also reported zero material regulatory penalties relating to sustainability for a second consecutive year and zero cybersecurity breaches.
Access Holdings mobilised US$185.38 million (₦266.83 billion) in concessional funding from development finance institutions during the year and allocated a sustainability budget of ₦4.8 billion from profit before tax. Sales-facing staff in the banking subsidiary carry green-portfolio targets within their individual performance measures, linking strategic sustainability goals to day-to-day execution.
CEO Commends Discipline in Sustainability Agenda
Commenting on the report, Innocent C. Ike, Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, said: “Our 2025 Sustainability Report reflects the discipline with which we are converting scale into value. We reduced operational emissions by 28.47 per cent, grew our green asset portfolio to ₦92.14 billion, and extended financial access to about 2.5 million low-income individuals. These outcomes show that sustainability is not separate from our business; it is central to how we create value, manage risk, and support inclusive growth across Africa.”
Looking Ahead
Looking forward, the Group will focus on deepening the measurable impact of its sustainability agenda by:
Accelerating the transition of its portfolio towards low-carbon and climate-resilient assets
Growing the green asset portfolio towards the ₦475 billion target
Improving data quality for financed and Scope 3 emissions through adoption of the PCAF methodology
Scaling renewable-energy adoption
Deepening development finance partnerships
Further integrating climate risk into financial planning
Consistent with its mission to be the most respected African financial services group, Access Holdings frames these commitments as a disciplined, evidence-based approach to building long-term value for customers, communities, shareholders, and the wider African economy.
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Rashidat Olushola Okunlade
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