By Sebronia Heita
Nedbank Namibia officially inaugurated its new headquarter which is officially named, the Nedbank Campus in Windhoek. The opening was addressed by the Nedbank managing director Ms. Martha Murorua. The inauguration was attended by the president of Namibia the Excellency Dr. Hage Geingob, First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Madam Monica Geingos, Chairman of the Nedbank Namibia Board of Directors Mr. Sebby Kankondi, Nedbank Africa Regions Managing Executive Dr. Terence Sibiya and other members of the Nedbank Board of Directors.
“It is an honor and a privilege to welcome you all to the official inauguration of the Nedbank Namibia headquarters, which we have officially named the Nedbank Campus. Your Excellency, Dr. Hage Gotfried Geingob you had a very hectic schedule for the past week than ever since taking office, to continue growing our country’s prosperity and let the world know what the jewel of Africa offers to investors and visitors alike, the managing director said.
The managing director continues to praise the job well done by saying, “I think we can all agree that this state-of-the-art building is a truly beautiful addition to the Central Business District which has completely redefined the Windhoek skyline. She added author Luanne Rice encapsulated so nicely where we as Nedbank Namibia find ourselves on our journey, with a quote that reads: ‘Happy endings start with new beginnings.’ The successful completion of the Nedbank Campus is a new beginning as we look forward to serving our clients better. This decision reflects the shareholder’s commitment not only to the future growth of the bank but, more importantly, to the future development of the country.”
Ours is a history that has been almost five decades in the making as far as it relates to our operations in Namibia. In fact, on 1 April next year we will be celebrating a half-century since our founding. Our very first branch, just a stone’s throw away on Independence Avenue, opened on 1 July 1973, she further added.
Ms. Martha also highlighted that today we operate 25 branches across the length and breadth of our country with close to 150 cash-out points including point of sale, 60 ATMs, and scores of Retail Cash-out points at tills.
History is never the work of one person or even a single moment in time. It is a culmination of efforts and the contributions of great minds that bring us to days like these. In addition this day, it is my honor to salute and thank my predecessors, some of whom are present here today, and I certainly have a great appreciation for their leadership: Martin Shipanga, Erastus Hoveka, and Lionel Matthews, as well as all Nedbankers who devoted themselves to sustainably growing the Nedbank brand for over the past century, She appreciated.
The Nedbank African regions managing executive Dr. Terence Sibiya also delivers his speech by highlighting the growth of the bank over the decade by saying “Nedbank Group is one of the largest financial services groups on our beautiful continent, offering wholesale and retail banking, as well as insurance, asset management, and wealth management services and solutions, as a group, Nedbank is strong franchise evidence by N$1.2 trillion in assets at the end of 2021. We have operations in six Southern African countries, namely South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and of course Namibia. We also have representative offices in Nairobi and Accra. The Nedbank Group also has a 21% shareholding in Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and as part of the Ecobank–Nedbank Alliance, the Nedbank Group offers clients access to the widest banking network in Africa with a presence in 39 countries on the continent”.
He further added that Nedbank is the fifth-largest bank in Africa as measured by assets and capital. Nedbank’s ambition is to give clients access to the best financial services network on the continent through our Nedbank branded businesses across the continent and our alliance with Ecobank. We are a purpose-led business focused on delivering positive societal and environmental impact. In addition as financial services providers, we are deeply connected to the environment we operate in and the societies we serve. Our ability to create and protect value is dependent on our relationships, our activities, and the contributions we make to all our stakeholders. By providing for their needs and meeting their expectations, we create and protect value for our stakeholders and for Nedbank.
The managing executive finalized its speech with the words of Dr. Mike Brown, the Nedbank Group CEO, who says, “We have entered the “decade of change”. This is a relatively short space of time in which we need to transform our energy sector, transportation sector, food systems, and built environments completely and in a manner that drives more equitable societal outcomes and respects environmental constraints. This is an unprecedented task, and while we may not know exactly how to enable this rapid transition, we will use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide our strategic efforts and work with sector experts, our clients, and the government to take the required collective action. As the Namibian Proverb reminds us, ‘the earth is not ours, it is a treasure we hold in trust for future generations”. He finalized.