FirstBank inaugurates state-of-the-art student hub at University of Ghana

FirstBank Ghana has inaugurated the FirstBank Hotspot Comfort Zone at the University of Ghana, Legon Campus, reaffirming the banks commitment to education, digital future and youth empowerment across Africa.

The Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank Group, Olusegun Alebiosu, speaking at the inauguration, said the initiative is a direct response to the infrastructural challenges the university’s expanding student population face.

“This is not just an event. It signifies our collective commitment to empowering students and fostering an environment that supports academic excellence and well-being,” Mr. Alebiosu noted in his address.

He highlighted that due to insufficient on-campus hostel facilities, many students travel long distances to campus to be faced with a lack of comfortable spaces to study or rest between lectures.

The FirstBank Hotspot Comfort Zone comes to fill this void and bolster academic excellence and student welfare. It is designed as a modern, safe and comfortable space for students to study, collaborate and recharge. Located near the Athletics Oval, the facility is equipped with high-speed internet, comfortable seating and modern washroom facilities to enhance digital learning, research and innovation.

Mr. Alebiosu explained the philosophy behind such investments, stressing that the more than a century old Nigerian bank has been committed to social development since its establishment in 1894. “We pride ourselves as being woven into the fabric of society. We also consider banking as sociology because you’re creating an environment, and that environment must grow with you,” he said.

He positioned the youth as the cornerstone of Africa’s progress. “I do believe that the youths are the future of Africa; and that if you invest in their future, you’re only growing Africa,” he emphasised, adding that this digital experience centre plays a “pivotal role in shaping learning, innovation and tech development” at the university. He expressed confidence that the project would have a “crowding effect,” to inspire similar talent-nurturing initiatives across Ghana.

Mr. Alebiosu expressed FirstBank’s commitment and expanding investment in Ghana, noting the recent commissioning of a new branch in Tamale and the establishment of a digital IT hub that develops the software used across the FirstBank Group.

Looking ahead, the CEO said the plan is to “expand our growth and deepen our digital offerings,” in 2026, affirming the bank’s alignment with government’s policy to digitise and diversify the economy. He commended government for the initiative, which he said is vital for growth across Africa, noting that digitalisation presents an unparalleled opportunity for financial inclusion.

“The opportunity also is in digital payments, because the future itself is digital,” he asserted. “In the next 20 years the world is digital. So the real financial inclusion will come, because banking will get to rural areas.”

He emphasised that digital payments bring agility and are the key to lifting communities out of poverty. However, speaking on the possibility of 24-hour banking, he clarified that while physical branches would not operate round-the-clock, “Our ATMs will be 24 hours. Our digital experience centre will be 24 hours.”

The FirstBank Hotspot Comfort Zone is a wholly FirstBank Ghana investment, merging comfort, technology and accessibility into a hub for the next generation of Africa’s innovators and leaders.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Awandare, thanked the bank for its support, noting that the FirstBank Hotspot Comfort Zone will go a long way toward helping students remain on campus.

FirstBank Ghana, a subsidiary of FirstBank Group, operates in Ghana with 35 branches, covering 70 percent of the country. FirstBank Group is a Nigerian multinational banking group with presence in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone. It also has branches in London and Paris, and a representative office in Beijing, China, through a subsidiary in the United Kingdom.

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