Standard Chartered Bank Ghana has on Wednesday committed an initial ¢1million to support emergency relief in aid of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

This is in line with its brand promise to be ‘Here for good’, particularly in times of adversity.

In line with government’s objective to conduct widespread testing for COVID-19, the Bank is donating portable Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing equipment to leading Medical Institutions mandated to carry out contact tracing and testing in the country.

The Bank will also be supporting frontline medical staff with N95 masks, gloves and coveralls. The items will be presented to hospitals and health facilities across the country.

Mansa Nettey, CEO of Standard Chartered Ghana Limited said, “Having operated in Ghana for more than 120 years, we are committed to supporting our communities and the country at large in this time of crisis. Our support is being channelled directly to support the most impacted including the frontline workers and the vulnerable in our communities.

She added; “Our healthcare workers in the frontline are sacrificing a great deal in this fight and we need to ensure that they are adequately resourced to perform their duties. The donation of these PPEs is our way of giving back and showing our appreciation to all healthcare workers”.

Beyond supporting the frontline, Standard Chartered is also providing support for the vulnerable. The Bank has partnered with a leading Charity to provide food and hygiene products to families in underserved communities.

The Bank is also providing educational materials to children in these communities to support their learning while at home.

Mrs. Nettey said “the pandemic will disproportionately impact the vulnerable. As a Bank, we believe in supporting and empowering the underserved in our communities.

"This is our initial commitment, we are monitoring the situation and will commit additional resources to support the most vulnerable including children as the need arises.

The Bank has also launched initiatives to provide economic support and protect the wellbeing of its clients and employees.

Earlier in the month the Bank announced a comprehensive relief package including tenor extensions and interest rate reductions on eligible local currency loans for clients in vulnerable sectors highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other initiatives include Life Insurance cover for new and existing life insurance clients and fee waivers on some digital banking services initiated via its SC Mobile and Straight2Bank platforms.

The Bank globally also announced that it is committing up to USD1billion of loans, import/export financing and working capital, at preferential rates, for companies providing goods and services to help in the fight against COVID-19 and support those re-deploying production resources to help fight the pandemic.

More details on the Bank’s support to emergency relief across the country will be announced in the coming days.