ONGWEDIVA-Nedbank officially opened a branch at the luxurious Oshana Mall in Ongwediva on Friday. The branch is the 25th of the 40 branches that are to be built within a period of three years, through which 100 direct jobs are to be created.
Speaking at the event the Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, applauded the Nedbank team for implementing a branch expansion programme with the aim of bringing banking services nearer to the people.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said in attempt to make financial services and products affordable to Namibians, cash deposit fees will be removed from individual savings and investments accounts by March 2015.
“Cash deposit fees will be completely removed also from all individual savings and investments accounts without any limitation by 31 March 2015,” said Kuugongelwa.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said that the initiative is aimed to address the reality that one of the barriers that hinders from accessing formal banking services in Namibia is excessive fees charged by banking institutions to consumers when depositing cash into their accounts.
“It has always been our expectation that we ensure a total removal of cash deposit fees as a chargeable item by 2015. The banking institutions are at liberty to remove these cash deposit fees in a phased approach, provided that this is achieved by 31 March 2015,” said the minister said.
Also speaking at the event, Nedbank’s Managing Director, Lionel Mathews, said the Nedbank team is working hard to implement a state-of-the-art, tried and tested banking platform that will rival and exceed the very best systems currently available in our country.
“We are excited by the prospects that this system will bring to our bank and our clients through making banking services accessible to our people. If we are to bring banking convenience to the Namibian people, then we need to stay abreast with the rapid technological advancement of recent years,” said Matthews.
Matthew said that Nedbank’s aim is to be a bank for all our people. A bank where everyone is treated with the respect they deserve, and provided with the quality service that Nedbank is known for. Mathews remarked that Nedbank has 48 ATM’s countrywide with 900 retailers across Namibia.
“We have invested significantly in creating banking convenience. Our ATM footprint stretches over 48 locations countrywide, while over 900 retailers across Namibia make use of our point-of-sale devices,” said Mathews.
Mathews said that the bank would increase from 48 to 80 ATM’s by 2016 hence he urged Namibians to put Nedbank Namibia to the test.
By Nuusita Ashipala