Bank of Kigali Plc hosted its annual forum at BK Arena on Thursday, October 3, with a strong focus on empowering agents to drive financial inclusion across Rwanda.
The event sought to equip the bank's agents with essential skills, motivation, and recognition to enhance service delivery and increase the adoption of banking products.
The forum featured comprehensive training sessions covering a wide range of the bank’s products and services, including account opening, cash transactions, and bill payments.
These sessions aimed to improve agents' ability to serve customers more effectively and expand access to banking services, particularly in remote areas.
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In her address, Dr. Diane Karusisi, CEO of Bank of Kigali, emphasized the crucial role agents play as brand ambassadors within the BK ecosystem. She reiterated the bank&039;s commitment to improving customer satisfaction and service delivery, stating:
She said; "You are our ambassadors and partners. We want you to be equipped to provide a wider range of services to our clients. This forum is an opportunity for us to engage with you, allowing you to share your insights and feedback so we can understand what needs improvement. Most importantly, we aspire for our agents to deliver services comparable to those of a traditional bank. Our goal is for you to offer comprehensive services, ensuring that clients receive outstanding support.”
During the forum, Dr, Karusisi honored 18 agents who excelled in three key categories: ethics, performance, and financial achievement. The ethics category recognized agents who upheld the bank's high standards of integrity. Performance awards focused on service speed and customer engagement, while financial performance awards acknowledged agents who efficiently served the highest number of customers.
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In addition to recognizing agent achievements, a new service was launched to enhance banking convenience for customers. Desire Rumanyika, Chief of Digital and Retail at Bank of Kigali, explained that the forum addressed key challenges while introducing new services aimed at improving financial inclusion and service standards across Rwanda.
Rumanyika highlighted the wide range of services agents currently offer on behalf of the bank, including withdrawals, deposits, bill payments, tax payments, international transfers, and school fee payments. He introduced a new service that enables agents to assist customers with account openings and loan applications.
He said: "For customers who wish to apply for a loan but want to avoid the time and costs associated with visiting a branch, they can bring their identity documents to an agent," Rumanyika explained. "The agent will verify their status, scan the necessary documents, and send them to the bank for assessment. This process is nearly instantaneous, as these services are already accessible through BK’s online channels for customers using mobile phones or desktops."
Rumanyika added that the bank is committed to extending these services to remote areas, ensuring that even customers in distant locations can access loans in real-time without needing to visit a physical branch.
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Agents attending the forum expressed their appreciation for the initiative. Marie Carmel Uwase, an agent in Kimironko, described the forum as an opportunity to share her daily challenges and was pleased to leave with practical solutions.
"As someone who works alone and often deals with long lines, I’m delighted to hear they plan to assign a dedicated teller for agents like us. This change will significantly improve my ability to serve customers efficiently," she said.
One of the award recipients, Alfey Munyurasibo, who has been with BK for seven years, praised the forum as a memorable experience.
"Meeting the CEO was the highlight of my day. I shared challenges, particularly with system issues when processing tax payments, and the CEO assured us these would be addressed. I am grateful for the ongoing training we receive and hope these sessions continue," Munyurasibo said.
The annual forum underscored Bank of Kigali's commitment to empowering its agents, ensuring they have the tools and support needed to drive financial inclusion and provide top-tier services to all Rwandans.