…to deliver professional training for staff
GCB Bank Plc, the oldest Indigenous bank in Ghana, has signed a long-term partnership with Retail Banking Institute to develop the GCB Retail Academy. Retail Banking Institute will deliver training and continuous professional development for GCB’s retail team members as a central pillar of the bank’s people and talent strategy.
Mr Sina Kamagate, Executive Head, Retail Banking at GCB Bank and Caroline Hastings, Chief Executive of Lafferty Group, signed the agreement in London on Saturday 20th March, 2024.
Mr Kamagate said there are three principal driving forces behind this new development. “One, we need to get closer to our customers because they are the reason we exist. Two, we need to understand from our customers what it is they want us to deliver so we can provide personalised banking services to these customers. And third, we want to return value to our shareholders and other stakeholders.”
“At the heart of what we do is our people, as they are behind the implementation of the transformation,” said Mr Kamagate. “We needed training that can help our people to understand what our customers need, and understand where the banking environment is headed, taking into consideration all the transformations and digital disruptions we have had in the retail banking.
”Mr Kamagate said the bank set out to look for a good tuition provider who also deliver training post certification, and provide Continuous Professional Development.
“We scanned the market and laid our hands on Lafferty Group and Retail Banking Institute,” he said. “The essence is to build our strategy around those people who run the bank, those who change the bank, and those of us who lead the bank. So the people who are running the bank on a day-to-day basis are taking the Affiliate level programme. Those who will change the bank are taking the Associate level. Then there are those of us who lead the bank, who are taking the Certified International Retail Banker programme.
“We believe if we apply ourselves to this training we will be able to deliver the kind of value that all our stakeholders will be happy with,” said Mr Kamagate. “Our stakeholders include our shareholders, customers, employees and even our government. The more money we make, the more tax we pay to the government. This is why we have prioritised our engagement and our partnership with Retail Banking Institute.”
Mr Kamagate said the training has had immediate impacts. “It is only two weeks since we have started and already we are changing lives. Our people have given us very insightful feedback especially around the tutorial sessions and the daily briefings we receive about emerging trends in retail banking. This is how we want to leverage and change the story of GCB.”
“We are proud to partner with GCB Bank and its vision to create a modern customer-centred digital retail bank,” said Caroline Hastings. “Our curriculum is aligned with GCB’s strategy to proactively reach out to customers to deliver a superior banking experience.”
Mr Kamagate noted that there have been multiple challenges and disruptions in the last two years including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Domestic Debt Exchange programme, and competition from fintech challengers.
“GCB aims to lead in all of its markets and our biggest market and biggest segment is retail banking”, said Mr Kamagate. “We are planning to take a 20 per cent share in total deposits in the banking environment. Retail should be at the heart of this drive. We hope that all this investment we are making in our people will translate into the successes we wish for our customers. I believe that this will bring the transformation that the country, our staff and our shareholders so desire.”
