It was pomp and glamour at Splendid Hotel in Muhanga District last Friday as Bank of Kigali treated its clients and partners in Southern Province to a day of customer outreach that included an interactive session and a cocktail.

The event was attended by Dr Diane Karusisi, Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Kigali; CG Emmanuel Gasana, Governor, Southern Province; Smaragde Mbonyintege, the Bishop of Kabgayi Parish, among other notable personalities.

The day kicked off with a presentation of the IKOFI, BK’s revolutionary universal wallet that offers financial services to particularly farmers, agro-dealers, agri-businesses and other players in the agricultural ecosystem.

Since May 2019, IKOFI has grown to more than 200,000 clients, while 1700 agents have been trained in the service.

Juvenal Kimonyo, the representative of Private Sector Federation in Muhanga District, said that Bank of Kigali was among the prominent members of the local business community and had done a good job in the development of the district.

"You can all recall the state of our district in the yesteryears. But look how far we’ve come and more is in the pipeline. I can confirm that Bank of Kigali has played a major role in this effort,” he said.

CG Gasana noted that the private sector has a key role to play in the country’s development, a fact he said was underlined during last week’s National Leadership Retreat (Umwhiherero).

"Three of the 16 resolutions adopted during the retreat concern the private sector. This goes to show how the business community is a pillar to the country’s development,” he observed.

Gasana, a Bank of Kigali client since 1995, described people in the south as ‘hardworking’, urging the bank to scale up its services in the region.

"People in this province, particularly in this district, are very hard working. They wake up as early as 3a.m to start working, that is why I am asking Bank of Kigali to decentralise its services to the lowest administrative levels as much as possible to facilitate the people,” he said.

In response, Dr Karusisi, reassured the governor and residents that that was a key part of the bank’s plans for the region.

"The Government has led by example as far as decentralisation is concerned, we will make sure that our services are accessible at the grassroots level. We do not want anyone to travel to Kigali just so they can access our services,” she said.

She said, for BK, Muhanga represents a great business opportunity.

"Do you recognise that Bank of Kigali office (complex) in Muhanga District is the second-best among our buildings after the general headquarters (in Kigali)? This is a testament to our commitment to the people of Muhanga,” she added.

The district is set to get a major face-lift with several infrastructural projects, including a modern shopping mall and a five-star hotel, in the pipeline. It will also host several parastatals as part of the government’s plan to relocate some public institutions from the capital to other emerging cities and towns around the country.

BK clients welcomed the interaction.

"That the CEO is personally here today demonstrates the importance that BK attaches to Muhanga,” said Consolee Uwanyirigira. "We interacted with them, shared drinks and we had a chance to ask questions and share our own views and they have responded to them.”

Karusisi also visited several BK branches in Southern Province, including in Ruyenzi, Kamonyi and Kinazi.

The bank regularly organises such events in different parts of the country to appreciate its clients, suppliers and partners.