Rokel Commercial Bank customers at Lumley and Juba in Freetown would now have an opportunity to access banking services beyond traditional banking hours and on weekends.RCBank has opened its second agency banking service at the precincts of its imposing Juba branch in the West end of Freetown. At a short ceremony recently held at occasion marking the commencement of agency banking at the bank’s Lumley and Juba branch, the Head of Operations RCBank, Adikalie Kamara said:
“To date, we have opened eighteen new branches, nine outlets with several ATMs and lots of other products. We are taking banking to the doorsteps of our people because the government, through the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion says everyone must have access to financial services….”
Managing Director of RCBank, Ambassador Dr. Walton Ekundayoh Gilpin underscored the need for Sierra Leoneans to develop a banking culture, informing that financial institutions have responsibilities to provide easier and comfortable access to financial services for the general populace.
“Through these invocations, we are also pushing the unbanked population in Sierra Leone to have bank accounts. The ability to access finance at any point in time is a major growth indicator as this will invariably help boost businesses and improve the overall wellbeing of citizens.”
An RCBank Customer, Salamatu Nyallay who is a petty trader at Lumley Market, expressed a profound gratitude to the management of RCBank for the new service, saying; “I will no longer have to wait until Mondays, and I will now have access to my money even when the main bank is closed”.
The arrangement through which a bank provides basic financial services through an agent rather than an in-house cashier is called Agency Banking. It is a type of branchless banking that allows the traditional banks to extend their network of branches and services in a cost-efficient manner.
