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Kampala, Uganda | Isaac Khisa | Ecobank Group, the Pan African Bank, has contributed about US$3 million to the fight against COVID-19 across its footprint in Africa which also include Uganda.
Ade Ayeyemi, Group CEO, Ecobank Group said with their knowledge of Africa, and to compliment various government efforts, the lender has provided support in form of cash, healthcare equipment and supplies, strong and sustained awareness campaigns while also using its digital platform to provide cash to some vulnerable members of society.
“COVID-19 is a major global threat adversely affecting all countries and our home, Africa, is particularly vulnerable. We believe in the importance of creating awareness in our communities, while also empowering them to protect themselves and their families as we battle the pandemic. We are particularly mindful of the needs of our communities and therefore focused on these to ensure positive impact both in our urban and rural areas,” he said.
“We are also paying attention to the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on our various customers and have taken the decision to alleviate some of the adverse impact by making some bank charges free on our digital channels. We will continue to anticipate situations that may require our support as developments evolve.” Ade Ayeyemi added.
He said at Ecobank, the health and well-being of their staff and customers are their priority and are therefore closely following guidance from the World Health Organisation, governments and health agencies.
“We are encouraging virtual/remote working, wherever possible and have since suspended physical gatherings, observing the required social and physical distancing in offices and branches which are open while also ensuring branches and ATMs are regularly disinfected across our network,” he said.
“We continue to promote good hygiene and health measures within our offices and externally using our social media platforms to sensitize the public on preventive measures needed at this critical period.”
He said Ecobank’s ATMs and call centres remain open 24/7 and full range of banking services are available via our digital platforms for all category of customers.
This development comes few weeks since the Africa’s multi-lateral lender, African Export-Import Bank unveiled a US$3bn facility, named Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (PATIMFA), to help African countries deal with the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, the African Development Bank Group announced the creation of a US$10bn COVID-19 Response Facility to assist regional member countries in fighting the pandemic.
The Ecobank Group employs over 15,000 people and serves about 20 million customers in the consumer, commercial and corporate banking sectors across 33 African countries.
The Group has a banking license in France and representative offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Beijing, China; London, the UK and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
