Nwaghodoh said that the UBA Braille Account Opening Form was produced with the support of the Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind and is the first of its kind in the industry.
By Jeffrey Agbo
United Bank for Africa (UBA) on Tuesday launched the UBA Braille Account Opening Form designed specifically to cater for the financial needs of the visually impaired.
The bank unveiled the form, the first of its kind in the African space, at its head office in Lagos.
The event had in attendance key executive members of the bank and guests including award-winning musician, producer, and songwriter, Cobhams Asuquo.
The general manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Dare Dairo; former senior special assistant to Lagos State Governor on persons living with disability, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal; as well as students from the Pacelli School of the Blind also attended the programme.
Ugo Nwaghodoh, the Executive Director, Finance and Risk Management at UBA, said that the bank would continue to look for ways to make the physically challenged and others to be comfortable in their life-long relationship with the financial industry.
He said, “In our quest to drive all-encompassing financial inclusion, we decided to support the visually impaired by developing a Braille Account Opening Form and these special customers now have the same opportunities available to our customers.
“The ultimate benefit is to ensure that everybody has the right to select and choose the kind of account they want to operate, and this account opening form will go a long way to ensure this.”
Nwaghodoh said that the UBA Braille Account Opening Form was produced with the support of the Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind and is the first of its kind in the industry.
With this innovative solution, he said, UBA had empowered blind customers to independently initiate and complete the account opening process, ensuring their seamless integration into the financial system.
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“Until now, this unique and special section of the society has been disadvantaged, but with this ground-breaking initiative, UBA has fully demonstrated its unwavering commitment toward providing an excellent user experience for all its customers, regardless of their individual abilities or disabilities,” he added.
Endorsing the laudable initiative, Asuquo described the braille account as an innovative initiative that would present UBA as a bank with a heart that pays keen attention to the needs of the blind and disabled.
Asuquo said, “Before now, we have always been at the mercy of the reader when we want to do things like open accounts for ourselves, but this account opening form has come to solve the problem of access which has previously been a huge limiting factor for people like me who are blind.
“With this initiative, UBA has promoted our ideal of inclusivity and has helped to put back freedom in our hands while opening us up to the variety of opportunities and options available to us.
“UBA has blazed the trail, I am beyond elated, as this new initiative will send a strong note to others to replicate the same feat and make people realise that banking services can and should be done with humanity in mind.”
Dairo commended the entire team for conceiving the idea.
He said, “I am so elated at this initiative, and I am happy to hear that this is also going to be replicated in the 19 African countries where UBA is present.
“I say thank you to this bank for this beautiful project. It is true that government cannot do it all, and we are glad when we see institutions charting the course for others.”
