By Alfred Koroma
One of the leading banking groups in Africa, Ecobank has on Thursday October 10 engaged youths in Kingtom Community, training them how to save, manage business and finances.
The engagement is part of an annual celebration of the ‘Ecobank Day’ which was celebrated on Saturday 12 November, this year, with a focus on ‘Financial Inclusion’ for all.
Ecobank often use the celebration to give back to society by supporting communities in the 33 African countries where the Bank operates.
“Anytime we have Ecobank Day, we look at different things. During Ebola, Ecobank Sierra Leone supported the government and helped the people affected by the disease. We also helped during mudslide…” Hannah Foullah, Ecobank Head of Brand, Communication and Marketing says.
In Kingtom, the Bank gave financial education to over 50 deprived youth hosted by the Word Made Fresh Sierra Leone (WMFSL), a charitable Christian organization based in the Community.
During the event, various Ecobank staff tutored the young people on various topics and allowed questions and reactions from them.
Branch Manager, Ecobank Micro Finance, Kadijatu Kanu spoke about savings and its benefits. She encouraged the young people to save, telling them that saving money builds self-confidence, self-respect and helps one solve emergency problems.
Saving, Kanu said goes with self-discipline. She encouraged the youth to consider saving from the little they are earning, saying they do not need to have bulky amount of money to start saving.
Druscilla Admire Coker, Head, Local Corporate and SME tutored on how to grow business. Growing a business, Druscilla said, first know the business you want to do, your product and when to sell it, your target customers, your competitor’s business strength and weaknesses. It helps you build your network and grow your business, she said.
Separate yourself from your business. Register your business and market it to let people know. The more your customers grow, the more your business grows, she added. Another staff spoke on how to get money to start a business.
The teachings reechoed the message of Ecobank’s savings promo campaign, launched couple of weeks ago. The promo which started last month will last for six months. During this period, customers stand chances to win various prices, including a car, tricycle (Kekeh), motorbike, phones and other prices just for saving with the Bank.
