MALAWI: State Vice President Calls For Centenary Bank Staff Welfare
Sam Kalimba
State Vice President of the Republic of Malawi Dr. Saulos Clause Chilima who is a practicing Catholic has urged the Board and Management of the newly acquired Centenary Bank by the Archdiocese of Lilongwe to be exemplary in promoting best labour practices by ensuring that the welfare of the employees was prioritized among other issues. He said this on Saturday 15 April when he represented the State President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera in inaugurating the bank at the Maula Cathedral in Lilongwe.
Dr. Chilima, after sending regards and best wishes from the State President to the Church on the launching of the bank, said that trust is the only thing the bank can sell and that everything would follow automatically. He also emphasized the point that for the trust to be well parked it requires personnel that is well looked after.
“It is indeed a dream come true for the Archbishop of Lilongwe, His Grace George Desmond Tambala and the whole Church in Lilongwe. Let’s celebrate it by supporting it. Many speakers before me have spoken about supporting it by opening bank accounts. I will also add that we should support it by ensuring that the employees are motivated. With motivated personnel, profits are incidental,” he said.
Dr. Chilima further encouraged the Catholic faithful to avoid wasting time with social media talks instead of taking realistic actions towards making the bank a success.
Speaking earlier was the Laity Council Chairperson for the Archdiocese of Lilongwe Mr. Gabriel Kamlomo who said that the bank must be close to the people and that it should always represent the poor on the banking platform.
“We are happy that with the Centenary Bank the poor have gate-crashed on the banquet of the rich. We will sit with the rich through you but make sure you do not forget us as you make decisions. It is that time we feel the voice of the poor will be defended in the banking sector. This is not a new phenomenon in the Church and its dogma,” he said.
Gabriel quoted Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical letter of 7th December 1990 Redemptoris Missio, “The Church serves the kingdom (of God) by establishing communities and founding new particular churches, and by guiding them to mature faith and charity in openness toward others, in service to individuals and society, and in understanding and esteem for human institutions.”
He also quoted unknown author who said “The fact that the poor are alive is clear proof of their ability”. In both quotes, he wanted to push for service for the poor that the bank is well known of back in Uganda where it originates so that the same is replicated in Malawi.
Mrs. Zandire Shaba, the bank’s Managing Director promised better services by reiterating that access to financial services is a right and not a privilege.
Centenary Bank Limited has shareholdings from the Centenary Rural Development Group of Uganda and the Archdiocese of Lilongwe at a 51%:49% ratio respectively.
Centenary Bank has since brought in new products aimed at servicing the less privileged like a fees collection system package known as CentePay, a funeral plan savings account, and a small-scale business loan package at low interest among others.
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