GCB Bank is expanding its corporate social responsibility efforts by empowering employees to identify and address pressing needs within communities across the country.

The initiative, known as the Staff Community Impact Programme GCB SCIP, gives employees the opportunity to go beyond the bank’s major corporate projects and implement community-based interventions tailored to local needs.

Speaking at Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 10, Chief Marketing Communications and Customer Experience Officer at GCB Bank, Cynthia E. Ofori-Dwumfuo, said the programme is designed to bring a more grassroots approach to the bank’s CSR activities.

She explains that employees across the bank’s extensive branch network are identifying challenges within their communities, mobilising resources and leading projects aimed at creating meaningful and lasting impact.

The programme currently involves about 95 staff groups across the country. Employees are responsible for identifying projects, raising funds and overseeing their implementation, while the bank matches the funds raised, subject to approval.

Projects supported under the initiative span key areas including health, education, environmental protection and road safety.

Among the interventions are community clean-up exercises, mentorship programmes for schools, the construction of a borehole and the donation of critical medical equipment to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Head of People and Culture at GCB Bank, Nana Kwabena Yeboah, says the programme is also intended to strengthen employees’ sense of ownership and responsibility towards the communities where they work.

He notes that employees, because of their direct connection to local communities, are often best placed to identify challenges and determine the interventions that will have the greatest impact.

GCB Bank says the Staff Community Impact Programme complements its broader CSR initiatives by ensuring that community development is not limited to large-scale projects, but also reaches communities through smaller, locally driven interventions.

The bank says it will continue to monitor the projects to ensure they remain functional and deliver sustainable benefits to beneficiaries.