Absa Bank Ghana has made several community interventions in the first quarter of 2022, in line with its social mandate in the country. With a strategy that is firmly anchored on being relevant in the Ghanaian society, the CSR wing of the bank continues to deliver a lot of initiatives to empower the youth whilst creating value consistently and helping the disadvantaged.

Between January and March this year, the bank’s staff, through a colleague volunteerism initiative, supported a lot of people in different circumstances to better their lives and put smiles on their faces.

Staff volunteers led by a group in the bank’s retail banking unit, for example, donated significant items to patients and workers of the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital in the Eastern region. The items included four tabletop fridges, four microwave ovens, TV sets, plastic chairs, bedroom items and wheelchairs.

The activity was in response to a request made by the hospital to Absa Bank for emergency support.

The team also paid the hospital bills for 10 patients on admission at the hospital. These patients were unable to go home despite being discharged, due to their inability to pay the hospital fees.

Listowell Agbeli Mensah, Accra-North Regional Branch Manager at the bank said “We take such initiatives seriously because we recognize that our role goes beyond the profession we are in. It is part of our ethos to identify areas in our society where help can be delivered so we can find unique ways to make that happen.”

The Women’s Network Forum (WNF) of the bank also donated GHS5,000 to the Ark Foundation in commemoration of Women’s Day last month. The amount was to support the wellbeing of the women and children under the care of the foundation. The WNF is a group within the bank, committed to empowering the female population and creating mentorship and leadership opportunities as well. The group also identifies institutions and organisations that require support of all kinds in order to offer help.

Chairperson of the Forum, Audrey Abakah said “As a group committed to the welfare of various women groups, we are proud of what the Ark Foundation has done throughout the years for women and children. Our gesture today aligns with our overall focus to support, empower and transform the lives of women in our country.”

Absa Bank in the last quarter also extended its flagship Education & Skills Development initiative, ReadytoWork to a number of tertiary institutions in the country. A total of 300 students of the All-Nations University benefited from trainings related to work, people and money skills by the staff of the bank’s Koforidua branch.

The ReadytoWork initiative focuses on knowledge and skills transfer through an online portal, physical engagements, and virtual webinar sessions. Its main aim is to get these students ready for the future workplace. An additional 300 students also benefited from the ReadytoWork modules through face-to-face interactions at the University of Ghana Career center and the Africa University College in Accra between January and March this year.