Zenith Bank Ghana Limited has donated GH¢1 million to the COVID-19 Fund established by the government of Ghana to complement its fight against the virus, and to assist in the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable in society.
Officials of the Bank presented the amount at the Ministry of Information press briefing on Tuesday April 14, 2020.
The donation was made by Board Chair of Zenith Bank, Freda Duplan; Board member, Anthony Oteng-Gyasi; Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Akindele Ogunranti and Board Secretary, Daniel Agamah.
This gesture is in addition to an earlier contribution made by Zenith Bank to the GH¢10 million donation earlier presented by the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) to the COVID-19 Fund.
Speaking at the presentation, Board Chair of Zenith Bank, Mrs. Freda 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 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.”
On his part, the Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank, Mr. Ogunranti noted, “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”. We are grateful for His Excellency, the President of Ghana’s timely intervention and the measures put in place to combat the spread of the Coronavirus in Ghana.
Meanwhile 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% through the creation of a shift system i.e. rotating staff nationwide.
In addition, certain categories of staff (such as pregnant staff, nursing mothers, staff with medical conditions, etc.) have been granted leave to stay at home to protect them from any COVID-19 exposure risk.
Moreover, the bank has provided sanitizers to all staff and to teams to ensure they constantly observe the precautionary measures instituted by the Ghana Health Service.
The bank is encouraging customers to conduct their transactions using digital channels during this period. Zenith Bank is also ensuring full functionality of its electronic channels (e.g. zenith cards, ZMobile app, Internet Banking, Bank2Wallet – mobile money, USSD code – *966#, GlobalPAY, etc.) to enable customers carry out their banking transactions from the comfort of their homes.
To this effect, customers are guaranteed a safe and secure banking experience via Zenith Bank’s electronic channels. Some incentives which have been granted include; the waiving of all interbank transfer fees on the bank’s digital platforms; mobile wallet transactions below Ghs100 also do not attract any charges.