In a commendable move to capacitate  students for the 21st Century Job market, Rokel Commercial Bank in collaboration with the University of Makeni Students Representatives Council hosted the Students Leadership and Empowerment Summit on the 6th April, 2024.

The Student Leadership and Empowerment Summit is an event designed to empower and equip student leaders with skills, knowledge and mindset necessary to become effective leaders that will make a positive impact in Society.

The ceremony, held at the Western Palace, was officially opened by the Distinguished Guest Dr. Ekundayo Walton Gilpin, Managing Director Rokel Commercial Bank with a delivered Lecture centered on the theme ‘Leadership and Positive Mindset for sustainable empowerment’.

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Giving an overview of the program, the Public Relations Officer of Rokel Commercial Bank, Aruna Dumbuya informed the students that this is not the first time the Leadership of the Bank, headed by the Managing Director Dr, Gilpin has been making strides not just at UNIMAK but also other reputable universities to ensure that they meet with students, build their competencies, Leadership, ethics, values and upholding of Integrity. He reminded the gathering that there are many documents that are pertaining to them as Sierra Leoneans and one of them is the Sustainable development goals which comprises 17 goals . He emphasized that, it is pertinent for students and practitioners to reflect on SDG’S four and Five which focuses on how to build the competencies and knowledge for women; emphasizing that as a bank they have been working very hard to meet the regulatory guidelines of the gender empowerment Act.

In his Power Point Presentation, Dr. Walton Gilpin emphasized the importance of self-belief as a major trait of a good leader. He described Self-belief as necessary for leaders to accomplish high goals affirming that any leader that lacks self-belief will not be able to convince others to follow them. He highlighted that believing in oneself is fundamental as a leader because if a leader doubts and faulters internally, there is tendency for him or her to crumble externally.

He further enlightened  the students about the need to master their story line when they are about to speak in any gathering, urging the students Leadership Council Leaders to practice often when they have a role and not to solely rely on their own intellects so they can develop and grow .
Highlighting the key Qualities of a good leader, Dr, Gilpin states “A leader has to be strong inside, purposeful outside, determined inside and demonstrable outside .To be a leader you have to have a positive mindset”-

Addressing the student’s leadership council, the Minister of Works and Public Assets, Dr, Dennis Sandy depicted the qualities of a leader as one that provides a good direction and leads by example. He reminded the students about working hard and  the future task of competing with students from other big universities after graduation in various walks of life, he affirmed.

He emphasizes on the need for Transparency and Accountability as fundamental hallmarks of  successful leaders. He believes Transparency sets a powerful example, inspiring a sense of commitment and dedication among team members.

In her Presentation on how students can deliver a successful Proposal to International Organizations and businesses, Hawa Sallay Samai.- Executive Secretary Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion defined a proposal as a document that outlines a plan of action, request for funding, or proposal of an idea.

Outlining the various types of Proposals, she enlightened that Proposal writing can be used in various settings, including business, academia, and government adding that in each case, the goal is to present a clear and concise plan to convince the reader to approve the proposal.

She further outlines that proposals offer comprehensive information about the project an organization wants to implement, the process and resources required to complete the project successfully. It also includes the objectives and goals of the project.

There were also presentations done by Mrs. Mariama Jajua (Head of Marketing-RCBank), Mrs. Kezia Salonkole (Head of Simkorpor-RCBank) and Victor Kanu (Head of E-Banking) on relevant topics of Banking and Financial Inclusivity.

The summit culminated with a Team building games by Ms, Lean of Sigay Consultancy and a vibrant presentation of certificates by the Managing Director Dr. Ekundayo Walton Gilpin.