adsGarba Mohammed, executive director (Commercial and Institutional, Middle, South and East), The Alternative Bank, speaks on the bank’s plan to deepen its footprint with more branches and relationship offices in commercial hubs, complemented by a wider agent network and more insights, in this interview with Hope Moses-Ashike. Excerpts
You have been at the forefront of non-interest banking in Nigeria for years, previously heading the non-interest banking window at Sterling Bank. How has that experience informed your mission at The Alternative Bank, particularly in Northern Nigeria?
My background has been all about pioneering ethical finance in conventional institutions, and now I get to apply that in a bank built entirely around those principles. At Sterling, as Group Head of Non-Interest Banking, I learned what works and what doesn’t in introducing our model to a broad market. That experience is like a toolkit I carry with me. Now, in the middle belt, southern and eastern regions, where the concept of interest-free banking doesn’t naturally resonate due to cultural and religious affinity, my mission is to deepen trust and understanding of our model and our organisation’s promise. The vision of my role at The Alternative Bank is clear: to show people that this bank is a partner that shares their values of fairness and equity. We often talk about forging a third way in banking, and I think non-interest banking is exactly that. A hybrid model guided by ethics and professionalism. My journey has taught me the importance of community engagement, so I’ve been very hands-on, meeting traditional leaders, local businessmen, clerics, and even students across the country to communicate how our systems work. The reception has been fantastic.
