By Janet Sesay
Sierra Leone Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB), one of the country’s leading indigenous banks, yesterday embarked on a sensitization tour to trading communities with a view to educate them on the importance of banking with RCB. The tour was to further provide an opportunity for their customers and the traders to interact with staff members at the bank.
The Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Rokel Commercial Bank, George Spillsbury-Williams, noted that the reason for engaging traders is to let them know that RCB is now at the forefront of banking. He added that they have moved from the traditional form of banking, which, he noted, was armed chair.
He further noted that they are making themselves visible with a view to sell their products and services to quite a good number of the unbanked population, especially the traders. The RCB mouthpiece noted that this will be an ongoing affair.
He also informed the audience that, in the last few months, they organized a national quiz competition, but they have decided to hit the streets of Freetown to interact with market people as well as market and showcase their varied products as a bank. This, he noted, is to encourage the financial inclusion revolution in the country.
The tour, according to him, is to be able to achieve a number of reasons among which is fostering mutual cooperation with their customers and also showcase their numerous products as a bank.
During one of the interactive sessions at Salad Ground Market, RCB staff members had a one-on-one interface with traders in which pertinent information was exchanged between petty traders and bank workers.
Petty traders, who answered questions posed on the bank, won prizes. Automatic and free opening of new accounts at RCB, with fifty thousand leones (Le 50,000), formed part of the highlights of the gathering.
The seven winners were asked to report at the Bank with their passport sized photographs and other pertinent documents.