Equality at Advans: IWD 2021 series: 3

Advans is talking about equality, the challenges women face in terms of accessing financial services and the achievements of its female staff in a series of interviews across subsidiaries to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021. Have a look at what Nadia Koffi, Branch Manager at Advans Côte d’Ivoire had to share below.   

What is your greatest achievement at Advans?

“I joined Advans in 2012. I was a Client Relationship Officer (CRO) for 3 years, then spent 3 years in the position of Deputy branch manager and I’ve been Branch Manager at Divo for 3 years now.

This represents my journey and my greatest success at Advans. All staff benefit from the same opportunities for development within the company and performance is rewarded at its fair value.”

Why is equality important? How have you seen equality evolve within Advans since your arrival?

“Equality is important in the sense that it promotes balance and success within a company and in the world in general. Indeed, equality enables us to see the same situation from different points of view, as a result of the different experiences we have.

At Advans Côte d’Ivoire, equality has been key in the recruitment of staff and we have had a gender balanced workforce since the opening of the first branch. We constantly work towards achieving equality as it is one of our core principles and key to the success of our institution.”

What are the challenges that women face in accessing financial services?

“As a microfinance institution, we are committed to offering accessible and adapted quality financial services to all, including women. There are two main challenges that women face i) ensuring that they have an activity that generates income and ii) gaining access to a good financial culture through financial education.”

How can women support other women at Advans at staff and customer level?

“It is important not to discriminate or favour certain staff members, as each staff member has their place and role to play. All staff should be supported and encouraged so that they can fully achieve their potential.

At the customer level, it is important not to discriminate in our approach to potential clients. Everyone should be given the same opportunity to access basic financial services and each client should be accompanied in the same way.”