Zenith Bank Ghana Limited has donated GH¢1,000,000 to the COVID-19 Fund established by the government of Ghana, to complement its fight against the virus and assist in ensuring the welfare of needy and vulnerable persons in society.
Officials of the bank presented the amount at the Ministry of Information press briefing on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.
The donation was made by Board Chair of Zenith Bank, Mrs. Freda Duplan; Board member, Mr. Anthony Oteng-Gyasi; the Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Mr. Akindele Ogunranti; and Board Secretary, Mr. Daniel Agamah.
This gesture is in addition to an earlier contribution made by Zenith Bank to the GH¢10,000,000 donation earlier presented by the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) to the COVID-19 Fund.
Speaking at the presentation, Board Chair-Zenith Bank, Mrs. Duplan said: “COVID-19 has re-emphasised the need for all of us – government, corporate entities, private sector and individuals – to work together for the common and greater good of our dear nation, Ghana. Solidarity has never been more critical to overcoming challenges than in this period. Our donation to the National COVID-19 Fund is therefore reflective of the bank’s mission as a corporate organisation to invest in our environment and underscore our commitment to achieving customer enthusiasm”.
On his part, Managing Director/CEO-Zenith Bank, Mr. Ogunranti noted: “These unprecedented times require every segment of society to contribute their quota to support government’s efforts toward mitigating impacts of the coronavirus. We are grateful for the President of Ghana’s timely intervention and the measures put in place to combat spread of the coronavirus in Ghana”.
Meanwhile, as part of measures to ensure the bank’s staff comply with set protocols in combatting spread of the coronavirus, Zenith Bank has reduced its workforce by 50% through the creation of a shift system – i.e. rotating staff nationwide.
In addition, certain categories of staff (such as pregnant staff, nursing mothers, staff with medical conditions, etc.) have been granted leave to stay at home to protect them from any COVID-19 exposure risk.
Moreover, the bank has provided individual sanitisers to all staff and teams to ensure they constantly observe the precautionary measures instituted by the Ghana Health Service.
Furthermore, Zenith Bank is strictly implementing a 3-step process of washing hands, sanitising and temperature checks before staff, customers and visitors are granted entry into its buildings.
There have also been appointments of hygiene champions in all departments and units, to ensure all team members are reminded to wash their hands at scheduled times.
Also, there has been implementation of a 2 metre-distance rule in the workplace to observe social distance precautionary measures.
In addition, a maximum number of ten (10) customers are allowed entry into the banking halls at any point in time.
As people are encouraged to conduct their transactions using digital channels during this period, Zenith Bank has also ensured full functionality of its electronic channels (e.g. zenith cards, ZMobile app, Internet Banking, Bank2Wallet – mobile money, USSD code – *966#, GlobalPAY, etc.) to enable customers carry out their banking transactions from the comfort of their homes.
To this effect, customers are guaranteed a safe and secure banking experience via Zenith Bank’s electronic channels. Some incentives which have been granted include: waiving all interbank transfer fees on the bank’s digital platforms; mobile wallet transactions below GH¢100 also do not attract any charges.
It is the bank’s fervent prayer that the pandemic will be short-lived, and that sooner rather than later life as we all know it will return to normal.
