May 22, 2015   : Oyetunji Abioye
Stanbic
 IBTC Bank and a leading business school in Spain, IE Business School, 
have signed a direct financing agreement to help people acquire relevant
 skills in entrepreneurship.
A statement by the bank on Wednesday 
said the parties signed the MoU in Lagos to commence the partnership in 
which the lender would provide loan facilities for students enrolled in 
the IE’s top ranked MBA programmes.
IE is ranked the third business school 
in Europe by the Financial Times. Its Global Executive MBA was recently 
ranked first by the Economist.
The collaboration, which will be 
operative for an initial period of one year from May 2015 and renewable 
for another year, covers financing for the IE’s MBA and the Executive 
MBA programmes.
According
 to the statement, Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of Stanbic IBTC Holdings 
Plc, will finance a part or the total cost of the programmes, which IE 
offers qualified candidates who have been accepted to the programme. The
 financing will come in the form of an unsecured personal loan.
The Executive Director, Personal and 
Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Obinnia Abajue, said the 
partnership was in line with the institution’s goal of ensuing economic 
empowerment through strategic interventions that would enable 
individuals and businesses to realise their aspirations.
He noted that it was the pursuit of this
 objective that informed the creation of the Stanbic IBTC Business 
Leadership Series, which made its debut last year, to build a new cadre 
of leaders among people and businesses in Nigeria.
It said similar capacity-building 
initiatives in the various sectors of the economy, including the MSME, 
transport and logistics, trade and finance, had also been organised by 
the Stanbic IBTC Group on an ongoing basis to support individuals and 
businesses.
He said, “The partnership with the IE 
opens another window of opportunity to empower people for 
self-development and actualisation. It is in sync with our operating 
mantra, which is moving forward.
“At Stanbic IBTC Bank, we are mindful of
 the fact that socio-economic growth and development are anchored on 
sound education and robust infrastructural base. This conviction 
underscores our strategic interventions in critical sectors of the 
economy, including education.”
On his part, the IE Vice-Chairman, Diego
 Benjumea, who noted that the institution remained dedicated to building
 business leaders worldwide, said Stanbic IBTC Bank was chosen for the 
partnership after a thorough appraisal revealed its uncommon commitment 
to multi-sectoral capacity building and economic empowerment.
Having become Africa’s biggest economy, 
with its rebasing throwing up previously under-reported sectors such as 
telecommunications, entertainment, and retail, the IE´s Country 
Director, Eniola Harrison, said Nigeria required, in both public and 
private sectors, a critical mass of skilled manpower to drive its future
 growth, while sustaining its growing international profile and 
reputation.
Benjumea, however, said, “A major goal 
of the IE is to help people acquire the necessary skills and knowledge 
and drive business excellence around the world. We have the right 
curriculum, which we regularly update, to ensure that our qualifications
 reflect the ever-changing needs of business and economy.
“In the Nigerian and African context, we
 are committed to building the foundation for long-term and sustainable 
success. We are constantly scanning the horizon to ensure that our 
graduates are equipped with cutting-edge knowledge of their 
professions.”
According to the bank, under the scheme,
 participants who have been admitted by the IE for its Masters 
programmes would qualify for financing from Stanbic IBTC Bank under its 
unsecured personal loan scheme.
Beneficiaries who are not existing 
customers of Stanbic IBTC Bank would be required to open accounts with 
the bank. The bank would bear up to 100 per cent of the value of the 
programme based on prevailing interest rate, it added.
Founded in 1973, each year, almost 2,000
 students from 90 countries undertake degree programmes at the IE, while
 about 5,600 persons participate in the school’s annual executive 
education programmes. With offices in 28 countries, the school has 
approximately 40,000 alumni in over 100 countries.
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