Absa Bank Ghana’s Employee Volunteerism agenda is impacting and transforming many lives across the country. The strategy is part of the bank’s Citizenship programme to involve employees in the many initiatives which have been instituted to support communities where the bank operates across the country.
The true test of a modern and progressive organisation is its relevance among disadvantaged persons in the society where it operates. Absa Bank’s strong heritage in Ghana – spanning over a hundred years – and its many achievements continue to demonstrate the importance of a financial services company to a country’s socio-economic development.
Over the past year, the bank’s employees across various departments have identified areas in their communities where support is needed, and have contributed cash and in-kind to help the disadvantaged in these areas. In November 2021, staff at the bank’s Gumani Branch, led by Iddrisu Issifu, donated tables and school desks to the Nanton D/A Basic School in the Northern Region.
Students at the school had been forced to learn under difficult conditions, without basic resources like desks, tables and other school items. The bank also donated PPEs, a polytank, mechanised veronica buckets and face masks to the same school for the students’ benefit.
In Accra, the Governance team led by Chief Operations Officer, Michael Mensah-Baah, presented school-desks and other assorted items to the Street Academy School behind the Arts Centre. The team was responding to a call for support by leadership of the school to corporate institutions located within the vicinity.
As Michael Mensah-Baah said during the presentation: “It is part of the bank’s ethos to demonstrate an inner connection with our communities through support and dedication. The spirit of Africanacity, our mantra, is what drives us in what we do – because we believe that we can become a force for good in bringing possibilities to life at both the commercial and community level”.
The bank’s Premier Banking team have also paid for the discharge of about 60 children hospitalised at the Princess Marie Louise Children’s hospital in Accra. The children who had been deemed ready to go home by the medical attendants, were unable to do so due to outstanding medical bills. The Absa Bank team, led by Head of Premier Banking, Owusu Agyeman, brought smiles to a lot of faces with the gesture – which also created additional space for the hospital to admit new patients.
Toward the turn of the New Year, the bank’s Customer Experience function – led by Chief Customer Officer Evelyn Acquah – also visited the Nyamedua Foster Home at Nanakrom, Ashaley Botwe, to interact with the children and make some donations as well. The team had a great time with the children and took turns sharing assorted items – including drinks, biscuits, pastries, beverages, bags of rice, dresses and a variety of books for the orphanage’s library.
Altogether, a total of GH¢100,000 was spent by these four departments in response to specific needs of identifiable communities in the country. “It is always a joy to see the smiles and reflection of gratitude on the faces of beneficiaries,” an Absa Bank employee recounted. “It is at that point you come to terms with the fact you have been a blessing to someone’s life.”
The Employee Volunteering programme is a crucial aspect of the bank’s annual expectation of its employees. Absa Bank believes that sustainable progress, for any organisation, must move beyond a relentless pursuit of profitability to a concerted commitment to doing good.
As Marketing and Corporate Relations Director at Absa Bank, Nana Essilfuah Tamakloe says: “It shouldn’t just be mere rhetoric. It must have a plan with proper initiatives that create impact and has scale. Apart from what our employee volunteers do, we have other programmes like our Ready-to-Work initiative, for example, which is redefining education in Ghana. We are proud to be at the forefront of change in the industry”.
