New data from CFA Society Nigeria is highlighting a significant shift in talent development within the country’s financial services sector, with Access emerging as the largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria.
According to CFA Society Nigeria’s Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, Access ranked first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 professionals enrolled in the CFA Programme.The figure is more than twice the 38 candidates recorded by the next-ranked institution and places Access ahead of other banks and financial services companies on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the CFA Programme and fulfilled its professional experience and ethical requirements.
The rankings point to a growing dimension of competition within Nigeria’s financial sector—one focused not only on balance sheet strength, branch networks or market share, but also on the depth and quality of professional talent.
CFA Society Nigeria said the data, compiled from its Salesforce Membership Database as of June 2026, was intended to recognise employers whose professionals contribute “rigour, integrity and global best practices” to the workplace.
The strong showing by Access is particularly significant in the context of talent development across Africa’s financial services industry.
The institution’s number of CFA candidates underscores a sustained investment in developing professionals with globally recognised expertise in investment analysis, ethics and financial decision-making.
Beyond the organisation itself, the development contributes to strengthening Nigeria’s wider financial ecosystem. As more professionals progress through the CFA Programme, the country’s capital markets, pension funds, asset managers and other financial institutions gain access to a deeper pool of highly skilled and ethically grounded professionals.
Commenting on the ranking, Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer, Innocent C. Ike, said the achievement reflects the Group’s commitment to building lasting institutions and developing professionals.
“Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure,” Ike said.
The achievement reinforces Access’s broader ambition of becoming the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. It also reflects the Group’s belief that sustainable growth and global credibility depend not only on institutional scale, but on the quality, expertise and professional values of the people driving the organisation.
With Access leading the national ranking for CFA candidates, the latest figures suggest that the Group’s investment in human capital is becoming an increasingly important part of its growth strategy—and a potential benchmark for talent development across Nigeria’s financial services industry.
