A total of 157 employees with long and unbroken records of service to Rokel Commercial Bank were honored for their dedication, hard work, and loyalty on Saturday, 14th September 2024, at the new Freetown City Complex.

The employees, who have worked between 15 and 35 years, include those who served during the Barclays Bank Plc era and after the transition to Rokel Commercial Bank following the transfer of ownership to the government and people of Sierra Leone.

There were emotional scenes inside the new City Hall as the awardees, divided into three categories based on their years of service, ascended a beautifully decorated stage to collect their plaques, accompanied by inspiring citations.

Millicent Cole, a long-serving female employee and the first woman to attain the rank of Director at the bank, recounted how the institution had faced a challenging period marked by liquidity and solvency issues, as well as low staff morale.

Despite these difficulties, the Director of Risk Management explained how the bank recovered from the brink and repositioned itself as a thriving, profitable, and stable financial institution in Sierra Leone.

Managing Director, Dr. Walton Ekundayo Gilpin, paid glowing tributes to the awardees, commending their dedication, hard work, loyalty, and selflessness. He urged all staff members to put aside their differences and exude positive energy as they look toward a more prosperous future with the bank.

“Let us convert our negative energies into positive energies, for it is not just the number of years you serve but the impact you make in the service of this bank and, by extension, your country,” he said.