Agribank expands footprint in Grootfontein, opens new office
Agricultural lender, Agribank, opened a new office in Grootfontein last week, as part of its on-going strategy to put clients at the centre of its activities.
The Bank has a continuous strategic objective of providing access to a wider client base, through both physical offices and the use of online services.
Three years ago, the Bank opened an office in Gobabis, Omaheke region and towards the end of last year, it relocated its office in the Zambezi region, based in Katima Mulilo, to new and more customer-friendly offices.
In his keynote address at the inauguration ceremony, the Governor of Otjozondjupa region, James Uerikua, who officiated at the event, applauded Agribank for setting up a branch office in Grootfontein given agriculture sector’s important contribution towards the economy. The sector is also the largest employer, despite a sustained economic recession over the past 5 years.
While the Covid-19 pandemic poses some serious challenges to Namibia’s food sustainability in the short term, Uerikua said there is an opportunity to accelerate transformation in the agricultural sector to build its resilience in the face of these challenges.
“It is against this setting that I consider the opening of the Grootfontein office as an important step towards unlocking the agricultural growth potential offered by the Otjozondjupa region, since this region, particularly the Maize Triangle Area, is known for relatively high rainfall and endowment with groundwater resources required for improving agricultural productivity. I thus congratulate the Board and all Agribankers respectively for their vision to bring services closer to the agricultural communities and for implementing this vision,” Uerikua.
Speaking on behalf of the Agribank board, Peyavali Hangula described the opening of the new office in Grootfontein as a yet another milestone in the Bank’s journey towards customer excellence, as it enables the Bank to expand its reach, and improve its accessibility to clients and stakeholders nationally.
She said the Otjozondjupa region is an important farming region in the country, which balances both livestock and crop production, making it equally important to Agribank, whose mandate is to support agriculture through funding.
“It is against this backdrop that we felt it necessary to increase our footprint in this region. We gathered in Grootfontein to open our second office in the Otjozondjupa region,” Uerikua said .
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Otjozondjupa region, James Uerikua who was the keynote speaker, Grootfontein Mayor Lovisa Iyambo, Agribank Board members among others.
