CHIBIYA

By MAIMBOLWA  MULIKELELA-
BARCLAYS Bank Zambia Plc has invested more than K17 million to support 230,000 Zambians, with a target of reaching 30,000 young people throughout the country.
Barclays Bank Zambia managing director Saviour Chibiya said the bank had invested the money in communities from 2012 -2015 to support young Zambians.
Mr Chibiya said the bank would continue to play a vital role in uplifting the lives of the people in the communities through skills development.
Speaking during the Barclays community investment celebratory event in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Chibiya said the bank was running a number of programmes that were helping disadvantaged young people in the communities.
“To date, we have already reached out to 18,000 young people. In 2013, 92 per cent of Barclays Bank Zambia employees shared their skills with people in our communities,” he said.
He said the bank was running the Banking on Change, a global partnership programme with Plan and Care and Building Young Futures working with UNICEF and Government.
“We focus on giving young people the business, enterprises and financial skills they need to setup their own small business,” he said.
The bank also partnered with grassroots soccer and It’s Time, a Pan-Africa partnership with Junior Achievers.
Mr Chibiya said the bank strongly believes that they have a tremendous opportunity to serve the people of Zambia better through community investment programmes.
Recently, the bank launched an innovative partnership programme with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in line with the citizenship agenda.
Speaking at the same function, Barclays Bank group corporate relations director and chief of staff Catherine French said the bank’s global citizen agenda was to give five million disadvantaged young people the skills they need to fulfil their potential and become economically secure.
“Young people with skills need to work, manage their money or set up own business in order to contribute to a stronger local and national economy, as well as improving their own lives and their families,” Ms French said.
She said the partners are key to enabling Barclays Bank to reach young people in order to achieve their goals.