Zenith Bank Plc has announced the opening of a new branch in Manchester, United Kingdom, marking another significant milestone in the bank’s international growth and its commitment to strengthening financial connections between Africa and global markets.

The official opening ceremony, scheduled to hold on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, is expected to attract government officials from Nigeria and the United Kingdom, regulators, investors, customers, and business leaders from both countries, underscoring the growing economic ties and investment opportunities between the two markets.

The new Manchester branch will complement Zenith Bank’s existing operations in the United Kingdom and serve as a strategic hub for supporting businesses engaged in international trade and investment. Through the branch, the bank will provide corporate banking, trade finance, treasury and related financial services to clients operating across the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa.

Speaking ahead of the launch, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, said: “The opening of our Manchester branch represents another important step in Zenith Bank’s growth as a leading African financial institution connecting businesses and markets across continents. Manchester is one of the United Kingdom’s most dynamic commercial centres, and our presence here will further strengthen financial connections between businesses in the UK and opportunities across Africa’s rapidly expanding markets.”

Founded in 1990 by its Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, Zenith Bank has grown into one of Africa’s most respected banking institutions, boasting a robust capital base and a remarkable history of year-on-year profitability. Built on a strong foundation of people, technology and service, the Bank has consistently delivered innovative financial solutions while maintaining a disciplined approach to growth and risk management. The impressive performance of the Bank has consistently earned it excellent ratings, recognition and endorsement from local and international agencies and institutions.

Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, Zenith Bank operates over 500 branches and business offices across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Bank currently operates subsidiaries in several African countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Cote d’Ivoire, while maintaining a presence in major international financial centres including the United Kingdom, France, UAE and China. In recent years, Zenith Bank has continued to expand its international network as part of its strategy to support global trade and investment flows involving Africa.

Manchester, widely regarded as one of the United Kingdom’s most vibrant economic centres, hosts a diverse base of businesses across sectors such as manufacturing, engineering, logistics, technology and consumer goods. The city’s strong commercial ecosystem and international outlook align closely with Zenith Bank’s expertise in corporate banking, structured finance and trade finance.

The Manchester branch will work closely with the Bank’s London operations and its broader international network to support clients seeking to expand across markets and unlock new opportunities in both the United Kingdom and Africa.

With the opening of the Manchester branch, Zenith Bank continues to advance its vision of building a truly global African banking institution that connects businesses, facilitates trade and investment, and creates stronger economic bridges between Africa and the world.

Nigeria’s premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider, First Bank has bagged two awards: Best SME Bank in Africa and Best SME Bank in Nigeria at the highly converted Asian Banker Global Excellence Retail Awards 2024.

The Excellence in Retail Finance Awards Programme, which includes the Global Excellence in Retail Finance Awards and The Annual Digital Bank Awards, is one of the most established awards of its kind, recognising exceptional innovation, leadership, management, and performance in the financial sector.

The 130-year-old institution bagged these two awards because of its full suite of solutions across its franchise to serve the needs of medium and small enterprises in regard to core financial needs and offer flexible financing options across the entire lifecycle needs of customer’s business.

According to The Asian Banker’s Strategic Business Intelligence for the Financial Services Community “FirstBank demonstrated exceptional performance, notably in its SME sector, by achieving more than 100% revenue growth while maintaining a reduced cost-to-income ratio of 16.5%.

Small and medium-sized enterprises contributed 26% of overall bank revenue. Furthermore, the institution’s SME customer base grew by 7%, reaching a total of more than one million. For its significant growth in the SME business, the award for Best SME Bank in Nigeria and in Africa goes to FirstBank”.

FirstBank supports its customers by providing exceptional value propositions around each industry sector, digital innovation of the bank’s processes and financing options, and a strong relationship banking approach to create best-in-class customer engagement. The Bank’s integrated platform not only helps businesses grow and reduce operational costs but also facilitates expansion into regional and overseas markets through its Sub-Saharan Africa subsidiaries.

Expressing her delight on the recognition, the Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Ms. Folake Ani-Mumuney said: “We thank the Asian Banker Awards for the recognition and dedicate these awards to our esteemed SME customers that have progressively impacted the socio-economic growth of not just Nigeria but also the African continent given their critical role as the engine of any economy.

“For 130 years, FirstBank has continued to enable the giants in our customers including our SMEs as well as other stakeholders, and we remain committed to delivering the ultimate ‘gold standard’ of value and excellence,” she concluded.

Amongst other awards, FirstBank recently added to its awards kitty, Best Private Bank in Nigeria and Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investment in Africa by Global Finance, for its exceptional leadership in integrating sustainable practices into its banking operations.

The just concluded Kenya presidential election that saw the deputy president, William Ruto surprisingly winning the election was the tensest election Africa has had in recent times.

This is due to the fact that actors in the election are majorly bigwig political leaders in the East African country.

The battle was between DP William Ruto and a well-experienced fifth-time contestant in Kenya presidential election, Hon Raila Odinga but the outcome of this election can best be described as astonishing, especially for the fact that Raila Odinga was hugely and openly supported by the current president, Uhuru Kenyatta.

No doubt, every ‘sensible’ individual in Kenya knows that Odinga was the candidate to beat in the election because he has the resources and the support needed; there was nothing hidden in the fact that the president wanted him at all costs to succeed him against his deputy, William Ruto who has been at loggerheads with him since they secured their second term ambition.

Some of these factors made it impossible for the election to be predictable and as a matter of fact, everyone that had the guts to predict the outcome projected Raila Odinga, considering all he had on his side.

However, when all odds and predictions seem to be against DP William Ruto, one lone voice that gave an assurance of victory for him was that of Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele who has been talking about the presidential election in Kenya since 2020.

Checks have revealed that there was no prophet that revealed that William Ruto was going to win, it was a very difficult prophecy to make but because Primate Ayodele is a true man of God who doesn’t speak except God says a thing, He spoke ahead of time and gave some spiritual directions for William Ruto to secure his victory in the election.

His last statement about the election went viral especially in Kenya after it was published by notable newspapers in the East African country. Primate Ayodele was quoted saying without rigging in the election, William Ruto will be Kenya’s next president.

These were his words; “Without rigging, Williaml Ruto will become Kenya’s next president and will make the country better for the people. Of paramount is that he should employ a new strategy and work more on Mount Kenya, the youth, and women,’

“Ruto must follow up with the election closely because I see plans to rig the election. He must ensure he wins in the first round and, avoid court cases hanging around his victory.

“The DP should follow these instructions and must be very radical on the day of the election because if he isn’t careful, he will be robbed of his win,’’

His prophecy was perceived by many as untrue due to the power at play, some called him names and promised to mock the prophet when it ‘fails’ but unfortunately, God’s name has been glorified with victory of William Ruto in the just concluded election.