Atlas Mara Bank has pledged to continue supporting the Zambian government’s agenda through the provision of banking services under the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) noting that currently the bank supports more than 200,000 farmers across the country annually.
The Bank’s Board Member Jacob Sikazwe said during the just ended farming season, the bank paid out more than K400 million to farmers through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) noting that Atlas Mara is one of the first banks to participate in FISP from its inception in 2002/3 and pioneered the FISP e-voucher payment modality in 2013.
Speaking during the N’cwala ceremony at Mtenguleni Village, Sikazwe said the bank continues to maintain one of the biggest branch and ATM networks in Zambia with fifty branches in all the ten provinces adding that in Eastern province, the bank has the biggest branch and ATM network with branches in Katete, Chipata and Lundazi.
In a statement availed to the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Sikazwe noted that Atlas Mara is further expanding its reach into the underbanked areas through its Tenga mobile money wallet and Tenga express agency network, which currently has over one million registered customers and over one thousand agencies across the country.
Sikazwe commended government for providing an enabling environment through a diversified economy adding that the measures being taken to revamp the economy have been well received and he assured the President that as a major player in the financial sector, the bank will support the efforts of the ‘new dawn’ administration to revive the economy.
He noted that Atlas Mara is one of the pioneering banks to participate and integrate with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Service through the Zambia Integrated Social Protection Information System (ZISPIS).
The Board Member added that through this program, Atlas Mara supports the disbursement of social welfare grants to the beneficiaries across the country including Eastern province who are more than 170,000 beneficiaries.
Sikazwe has applauded the new dawn government for implementing the decentralization agenda and enhancing the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) allocation to local authorities to twenty- five point seven million kwacha (k25.7M).
He said this important policy direction would spur economic development, infrastructure development and employment creation as well as bring about capacity building for the local community and subsequently help alleviate poverty.
Sikazwe explained that Atlas Mara has a long and rich history of supporting arts and culture and in particular, the N’cwala ceremony where the bank has been a platinum sponsor for the past three years adding that corporate social responsibility is one of the bank’s most important tenants in giving back to the communities in which it does business.
He said the bank values the importance of traditional ceremonies, which play an important role in preserving the country’s unique culture at a time when the world is becoming smaller thereby diluting traditional culture.
“This is a great example of how a cultural heritage should be preserved, the N’cwala ceremony has proved to be resilient having been stopped due to the global covid pandemic in 2021. In 2022 the ceremony has grown exponentially due to the resilience and innovation of the organising committees and for this they must be commended”, he said.
