November 21st, 2013
Guaranty Trust Bank Sierra Leone Limited over the weekend donated two hundred and forty standard airport chairs to the Freetown International Airport in Lungi at a ceremony held at the Airport.
Chairing the handing over ceremony, Dr. George Taylor-Lewis said the ceremony was part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility, to give back to build a better and modern standard airport in Sierra Leone.
He said the chairs have been ranked among the best in the world, noting that Guaranty Trust Bank is ranked the 6th most profitable banks in Africa and the 4th largest in Nigeria.
In 2007, he went on, GTBank was quoted as Nigeria’s most respectable bank in the world and that they started operation in Sierra Leone that same year. He said currently, they are ranked the 3rd largest and most profitable bank in Sierra Leone.
Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Airport Authority, Mr. John Sesay said the chairs would be used to upgrade the standards and facilities of the airport.
He said his management knew that government cannot do it all alone and so they seek the intervention of corporate institutions which has eventually led to the donation of the chairs by GTBank.
Mr. Sesay assured that the chairs will serve the right purposes for which they were donated and that they will help make passengers comfortable as they wait for their flights.
He said GTBank has displayed true patriotism by honoring its corporate social responsibility and put Sierra Leone on the world map of standard airport operations. Mr. Sesay further assured that the chairs will be monitored so as to ensure durability and used the opportunity to plead to other corporate and government institutions to emulate the good example of GuarantyTrust Bank.
Managing Director of the Guaranty Trust Bank Sierra Leone, Mr. Ayoku Liadi confirmed that when the renovation exercise was commenced at the Airport some months ago, his bank was called upon to lend its support, noting that the donation of the chairs will mark the beginning of numerous supports the bank stands to render to the Airport.
He said they deliberately choose the departure lounge because it will leave a lasting memory in the minds of travelers about the country. He informed that they will also be donating another 240 chairs of the same quality to the Airport in 2014.
Mr. Liadi said GTBank now has 12 branches in the country and that they have the most excellence services in ATM operation. He said they banked the most important airlines in the country, whilst calling on all to monitor the chairs so as to ensure judicious use of them.
Delivering the keynote address and officially handing over the chairs to the Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Airport Authority, the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Leonard Balogun Koroma said the event was a demonstration of a well meaning bank honoring its corporate social responsibility.
He said government was still in its continued quest to upgrade and modernize the Airport to international standard, one that will stand the test of time.
The chairs he went on are attractive and will enhanced comfort of travelers, whilst also encouraging Sierra Leoneans and visitors to bank with the bank.
The Airport Minister Koroma said has over the years be contributing in generating revenue for the country, so the environment must be conducive to a standard that will encourage investors and other people to come into the country for developmental purposes.
He called for more support from elsewhere for the upgrading and modernization of the Airport, whilst officially handing over the chairs to the airport management.