Mrs Freda Duplan (right) presenting the cheque for GH¢1 million to Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Minister of Communications, for the COVID-19 Trust Fund. With them are Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi (2nd-right), and Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information.

Zenith Bank supports COVID-19 Fund with GH¢1 million

Daily Graphic Apr - 16 - 2020 , 09:02

Zenith Bank Ghana Limited has donated GH¢1 million to the COVID-19 Trust Fund established by the government to help fight against COVID-19.

The fund is also to assist in the welfare of the needy and vulnerable in society.

Officials of the bank presented the amount at the Ministry of Information press briefing last Tuesday.

The Board Chairman of Zenith Bank, Mrs Freda Duplan, made the donation, with the support of a board member, Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi; the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank, Mr Akindele Ogunranti, and the Board Secretary, Mr Daniel Agamah.

The gesture is in addition to an earlier contribution made by Zenith Bank to the GH¢10 million donation that was presented by the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) to the COVID-19 Trust Fund.

Presentation

Speaking at the presentation, 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 Trust Fund is, therefore, reflective of the bank’s mission as a corporate organisation to invest in our environment to underscore our commitment to achieving customer enthusiasm.”

For his part, Mr Ogunranti noted that: “These unprecedented times require every segment of the society to contribute their quota to support government’s efforts towards mitigating the impact of the coronavirus.”

He expressed gratitude to the President for leading the country’s timely intervention with the measures put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus in Ghana.

Bank’s intervention

As part of measures to ensure that the bank’s staff comply with set protocols in combatting the spread of the coronavirus, Zenith Bank has reduced its workforce by 50 per cent through the creation of a shift system for all staff nationwide.

In addition, certain categories of staff, such as pregnant staff, nursing mothers and staff with medical conditions, have been granted leave to stay at home to protect them from any COVID-19 exposure risk, the bank explained.

Moreover, the bank has provided individual sanitisers to all staff and to teams to ensure they constantly observe the precautionary measures instituted by the Ghana Health Service.

Furthermore, Zenith Bank is strictly implementing a three-step process of washing and sanitising of hands, and temperature checks before staff, customers and visitors are granted entry into the bank’s buildings.

There has also been the appointment 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 the implementation of a distance of two metres in the workplace to observe the social distance precautionary measure.

In addition, not more than 10 customers are allowed entry into the banking halls at any point in time.

The bank is also encouraging people to conduct transactions using digital channels during this period as it has also ensured full functionality of its electronic channels to enable customers to carry out their banking transactions from the comfort of their homes.