RC Bank MD Receives Strategic Plan From GoNE-SL …During a Courtesy Call Visit

Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB) and the Guild of Newspaper Editors Sierra Leone (GoNE-SL) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration between the financial and media sectors, following a high-level meeting between the bank’s management and the Guild’s executive.
Introducing the Guild’s executive, Secretary-General Ishmail Saidu Kanu Esq said the visit was aimed at nurturing closer ties with Rokel Commercial Bank and exploring opportunities for collaboration in strengthening media development in Sierra Leone.
Guild Chairman Thomas Dixon congratulated Dr. Walton Ekundayo Gilpin, Managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank, for his outstanding leadership and for taking the bank to its current heights.
“You cannot talk about the banking sector without mentioning RCB,” Dixon said, while thanking the bank for its continued support to the media and calling for increased assistance to the print media in particular.
Outlining the Guild’s plans, Chairman Dixon said GoNE-SL aims to focus on capacity building for editors, particularly in the areas of digitization and artificial intelligence (AI). He also stressed the Guild’s commitment to gender inclusivity, pledging to bring more women editors on board.
“We just have a few female editors in the Guild, but we are going to work on this to have more,” he added.
As part of its long-term strategy, the Guild also plans to establish a cost recovery printing press to support newspaper editors and promote sustainability within the industry.
Chairman Dixon formally presented the Guild’s strategic plan to Dr. Gilpin during the meeting.
In his response, Dr. Walton Gilpin congratulated the new executive on their election, commending members for the confidence they have placed in their leadership.
“We know the bank has been partnering with the media for years, and we will continue in that regard,” he said.
Dr. Gilpin acknowledged the media’s crucial role in shaping public perception and national development.
“The media is quite important in telling stories and portraying the image of the nation or an institution,” he noted. “If we are giving loans to businesses and other sectors for growth, why not
the media? We are partners in development, and that partnership will continue.”
The RCB MD assured the Guild that the bank would carefully review the strategic plan to identify possible areas of collaboration.
Dr. Gilpin concluded by describing the relationship between Rokel Commercial Bank and the media as “family,” pointing out the mutual respect and shared goals between the two institutions.