Dr. David Okyere
FIDELITY BANK Ghana recently launched its ‘We Dey Everywhere’ campaign designed to reinforce the bank’s omnipresence through a series of marketing communications.
The campaign seeks to create awareness about the bank’s extensive network of community agents who are bringing banking to the doorsteps of Ghanaians across the country.
Head of Agency Banking at Fidelity Bank, Dr. David Okyere, said, “In 2013, when we launched the Agency Banking model in Ghana and promised to give customers a full bank account within five minutes, the idea seemed overly-ambitious and unrealistic to some people. However, today our Agency Banking channel has grown massively and serves as one of the key drivers of financial inclusion in the country. From a pilot project of approximately 100 agents, we now boast of an agent network of about 5,000 agents who currently serve close to a million unique customers. Indeed, we are literally everywhere and we want Ghanaians to know that wherever you are, we are present in your community and we are ready to serve you.”
Fidelity Bank believes that by working together with its agents, it can achieve its financial inclusion objective to leave no one behind and to positively impact the country at large.
Fidelity Bank pioneered the Agency Banking model in Ghana in 2013 when it launched its agency banking operation as a key stratagem to meet the financial needs of the huge population of under banked and unbanked Ghanaians.
The Agency Banking model allows Fidelity Bank to set up a widespread network of agents in communities across the country by partnering with consumer outlets such as neighbourhood pharmacies, mobile money vendors, grocery shops and supermarkets.
These outlets are accordingly branded and provided with an onsite agency banking software solution to offer basic financial services to the public on behalf of the bank.
Customers can thus undertake transactions such as withdrawals, deposits, interbank transfers, fund transfers (account to account), bill payments, airtime top up, balance inquiry, statement requests, among other transactions at the agent point.
Over the years, the bank has perfected the agency banking model by introducing cutting edge digital technology. This has enabled the bank to simplify the account opening process and other banking transactions. It has also made it possible for the bank to streamline its agent management protocols by utilising a robust customised digital agent management system which was introduced in 2017.
This has led to an exponential growth of the bank’s agency banking network and deepened its roots in communities throughout the country. These achievements have also contributed to the bank being recognised as the Best Bank in Agency Banking at the recently held 6th Instinct Business Finance Innovation Awards.
A business desk report