How one African bank is institutionalising local community care with their annual Ecobank Day

How one African bank is institutionalising local community care with their annual Ecobank Day

In 2013 the Ecobank Group took their corporate social responsibility up a notch by designating “Ecobank Day” as an annual event celebrated by all staff in the 36 African Countries where Ecobank is present. The objective is to institutionalise “Ecobank day” as one day in the year when all affiliates across Africa undertake social work in the communities in which they are present.

“Ecobank is a pan-African bank of the people, for the people, and this comes with certain responsibilities, which we take very seriously. While our focus is very much on transforming the African banking landscape, and servicing our customers with convenient, cost-effective financial products, we also care very much about our local communities,” said Ecobank Managing Director, Mr Kola Adeleke.

On Ecobank Day, employees come together to help a worthy cause by volunteering their time and working hand in hand with members of local communities. By volunteering, staff tangibly support the financial contribution made by the bank to improve the living conditions of more vulnerable members of local communities.

Of course, the efforts involved in organising such localised community focused action go beyond just one day of the year. Teams of people select yearly themes and then select relevant community programmes in each country. Ecobank Days’s are meticulously planned, organised and delivered and the work continues long after the single Ecobank Day.

The theme for Ecobank Day 2018 is ‘Supporting Young lives’. Sadly, our continent is home to a third of the world’s orphan population. Globally there are 140 million orphans. 52 million live in Africa.

As you can imagine, these children, many still infants, lead very difficult lives, having to fend for themselves with no support. Because of their young age, many orphans are unable to find a steady income. Some are forced to single-handedly maintain a household and fund education and medical cost.Their rights and well-being are jeopardised and many develop negative survival strategies such as stealing, fighting and engaging in unsavoury activities that no child should be exposed to.Recent events have caused a rise in the number of orphans in Africa. Some 4,000 children tragically lost parents to the Ebola epidemic which caused devastation when it spread through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014–2016. According to the World Health Organisation it caused the deaths of 11,325 people. A further 32 per cent of orphans in Africa have a parent who died from AIDS. Many of these children have the disease themselves.

“With so many vulnerable young people in need, we are committed to supporting them by helping the orphanages where they live. Many Ecobankers have given up their time to be here to support these activities. I’m sure you will agree this shows how strongly we all feel about giving back to our local communities. It makes me very proud of both the Bank I represent and the lifeblood — our staff,” Ecobank Managing Director, Mr Kola Adeleke.

Ecobank Zambia took part in the 2018 Ecobank Day on November 17th at Every Orphan’s Hope (Bethel Homes) in Lusaka and at St. Anthony’s Village in Masala, Ndola. The bank donated all kinds of essential items required in the everyday lives of our children.

Ms Helen Mumba, Program Director and Mr Kola Adeleke, Managing Director, address the audience on Ecobank Day 2018

Over the years Ecobank Zambia has made a real impact in local communities:

• In 2015 the them was, “Every child in Africa deserves a betterfuture” — Ecobank Zambia supported the children’s wing at Mazabuka General Hospital and Mulenga Community School in Kitwe.
• In 2016, under the theme “Improving Maternal Health care in Africa”, Ecobank Zambia donated maternity kits and addressed essential healthcare needs at the maternity wings at Chipulukusu Clinic in Ndola and Chawama Clinic in Lusaka
• In 2017, to address the challenges of inequalities in education, Ecobank Zambia celebrated Ecobank Day with three young girls from New Mtendere Secondary School and Kamulanga Secondary School. Ecobank Zambia committed to pay all their tuition and exam fees for their higher education. At the same time they donated a borehole and water treatment products to Kawama Race Course Community School in our efforts to promote safe water for a healthier life.

We will continue to partner with the local communities in which we operate to make a difference in people’s lives. Africa is our home, Africa is our market therefore, we are here to stay and to touch the lives of many in every way that we can. Ecobank Managing Director, Mr Kola Adeleke.

Ecobank Zambia is an affiliate of Ecobank Transnational incorporated (ETI), with headquarter in Lome, Togo. Ecobank has the largest presence in Africa being found in 36 African countries. It also has offices in Paris, London, Beijing and Dubai.

Ecobank Zambia has a total of seven branches, four in Lusaka and three on the Copperbelt. Ecobank Zambia’s strategic plan is to grow our business through focusing on customer centricity by embracing the digital platform as the next banking frontier. They are focused on their revamped mobile platform as well as internet banking as the next sources of growth in their banking business. The support and commitment of their major shareholders continues to support these developements, mainly Nedbank of South Africa, Qatar National Bank, International Finance Corporation (an Investment wing of the World Bank) and Public Investment Corporation of South Africa.