BENIN CITY – LAPO Microfinance Bank, Benin City, has emerged the ITF Best Organization in Training Contribution for year 2021 amongst all other organizations in Edo State.

Presenting the Industrial Training Fund(ITF) Award to LAPO MfB on behalf of the Director General/Chief Executive of the Fund, Sir Joseph Ntung Ari, ksm, on Friday in Benin City, the Acting Area Manager, ITF, Benin Area Office, Mr. Bamidele Michael Oloje said the Award was in recognition of LAPO MfB’s role in promptly meeting its statutory obligation of paying its one percent training contribution to the ITF and the LAPO MfB continuous interest in human capital development.

The ITF Chief Executive, while commending the Financial institution for what he described as “no mean feat”, however , urged the management and Staff of LAPO MfB, Benin City, to keep the flag flying and to do more in the years ahead.

The ITF Benin Area office Manager enumerated the different categories of training programmes that LAPO MfB had proposed and implemented for it’s staff in conjunction with ITF and other HRD institutions and profusely appreciated its genuine efforts in human capital development of staff.

According to him, “this year, ITF has implemented Occupational Safety and Workplace Violence Prevention Workshop for 20 members of your staff. We just concluded the training on Work-life Balance for Optimum Performance for 57 members of your staff.
Also of note is your nomination of staff to attend some of our scheduled programmes”

“We commend you and hope that the mutual cooperation and synergy that exists between you and the ITF would be further strengthened… especially in the area of Record keeping and Management”

Responding, Barr. Faith Ojo, Executive Director, Operations, LAPO MfB, representing Cynthia Ikponmwonsa, Managing Director, LAPO MfB, thanked ITF for the Award, stating that “in LAPO MfB, we have always believed in making the staff better than they came into the organization.”

She noted that it was quite heart-warming and very exciting for LAPO MfB to be appreciated and given an Award by the ITF on account of its commitment to staff training and human capital development.

She, however, emphasised that, over and beyond that, ” We, in the LAPO group believe that regular training and human capital development will make our work better and so,we are irrevocably committed to it. We are glad and excited that we have an award for doing that.
“We see you as our partner and believe that this robust partnership will blossom and result in the implementation of more capacity building training programmes in the years ahead. Once again, thank you for the Award.”

The ceremony climaxed with the presentation of the Distinguished ITF Award while it also afforded both organizations the unique opportunity to rub minds on better ways of collaboration, as there were meaningful comments from management staff of both LAPO MfB and the ITF in that regard.

Also present at the brief but memorable event were management staff of both organizations, including Pastor Mrs Amen Akenbor, Head, Human Resources, LAPO MfB; James- Wisdom Abhulimen, Head, Programmes and Communications, LAPO; Mr Akeem Salimanu, Head of Training, ITF, Mr Ebenezer Adejor Onalu, Head of Finance, ITF and Mrs Obiekwe Maureen, Head of Administration, ITF, Benin Area Office, among several others who joined via zoom.