Access to this content is exclusively reserved for subscribers.
The prayer session was held at the Hamdayle Mosque, Naimbana Street in Freetown on Friday, the 20th day of September 2024.
It was well attended by staff of RC Bank, including the Managing Director of RC Bank, Dr. Walton Gilpin, the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh, media practitioners, and Islamic worshippers. The prayer session was held to thank the Almighty for His spiritual guidance throughout the difficult and successful times of RCBank’s 25 years of existence. The Chief Imam of Hamdayle Mosque, Sheikh Abubakarr Conteh, in his sermon highlighted the successful transition and transformation of the bank from Barclays Bank to Rokel Commercial Bank.
Mr. Thomas, a senior staff of RCBank, stated that RCBank is a large bank in Sierra Leone and is a government-owned institution. He added that RCBank aligns with government policies and strategies. He reiterated what Sheikh Abubakarr Conteh had said earlier about the transition of the Bank from Barclays to Rokel Commercial Bank. He emphasized that Barclays Bank sold its shares to the Government of Sierra Leone and some ordinary citizens after the end of the civil war, with the government having the majority of the shares. Additionally, the government initially had 51% and later the shares increased to 65%, while the remaining 35% was owned by ordinary citizens. This happened 25 years ago. He addressed the challenges the bank faced in the past year until the government intervened to capitalize the bank. He added that even after the government intervention, the bank continued to struggle to compete with other financial institutions. He revealed that in 2017, the bank began to see improvement when they appointed the astute Managing Director Dr. Walton Gilpin. Mr. Thomas praised Dr. Walton Gilpin for his tremendous work and the wealth of experience he has brought to the successful transformation of RCBANK. He expressed that RCBANK will be able to challenge any local or international bank regarding banking systems.
In his opening statement, VP Jalloh thanked attendees for gracing the prayer session. On behalf of the government, VP Jalloh congratulated and wished RCBANK a happy 25th anniversary. He encouraged and urged the staff of RCBANK to work hard and meet the expectations of the government, customers, and banking policies. He urged the bank to be good to their customers, support their customers, and support the economy. He also used the platform to announce that Sierra Leone has been rated as one of the countries vulnerable to climate change due to the recent collapse of buildings and flooding. Sheikh Abubakarr Conteh offered prayers for Rokel Commercial Bank.
