Uniuyo Microfinance Bank (MfB) has launched a loan facility – WashLoan – as part of its commitment to improved water, sanitation and hygiene for residents in the university community and its immediate environs.
The launch of the loan facility by the MFB, in partnership with Water-org, a leading civil advocacy group committed to improved water access globally, and the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), the umbrella body of all MFBs in Nigeria, was held last Thursday at the university in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the MFB, Dr. Millicent Idiong, said that access to clean water and proper sanitation is not a luxury as it is a basic human right but lamented that in many households, schools, and small businesses in our communities, this right remained out of reach.
She explained that through the Washloan initiative Uniuyo MFB is saying clearly that no family should struggle for safe water, no child should learn in an unsafe environment, and that no community should be left behind because of lack of sanitation.
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While thanking Water.org and NAMB for partnering with the microfinance bank to expand access to safe water and sanitation in the tertiary institution, Dr. Idiong explained that the partnership aligned with Uniuyo MFB’s mission as a development focused financial institution – to use finance as a tool for transformation, not just profit.
She clarified: “The WashLoan has been carefully designed to be affordable, flexible and accessible, supporting individuals, households, schools, landlords and water related businesses to invest in sustainable water and sanitation solutions. By providing this financing, we are not just supporting infrastructure – We are supporting health, dignity, productivity, and community resilience.”
In his remarks, the Senior Relationship Account Manager at Water.org, Gilbert Okpono, said: “The launch of this WSS loan product by Uniuyo MFB provides a beacon of hope of universal access to safe water and sanitation for the state and country. Through this innovative finance solution, households and SMEs would be supported in a sustainable manner.”
Commenting on the benefits of the initiative to millions of people in the university and its environs, the National President of NAMB, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmad, described the WashLoan product launch “as a testament of the spirit of collaboration in improving hygiene and health for our teeming clients and communities.”
He maintained that NAMB was “seeking more partnerships to deliver more sustainable, life impacting practices to its customers and communities.”
Photo Caption
Managing Director, Uniuyo MFB, Dr. (Mrs.) Millicent Idiong, (4th from right); and National President, NAMB, Alh. Abubakar Ahmad, (Centre), flanked by management staff of Uniuyo MFB during the launch of the Washloan facility at the University Campus last weekend in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
