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10 October 2023

Orange Sierra Leone, the most reliable and widest telecommunications company celebrated Customer Service Week (CSW) on the theme: “One Team, One Goal” from the 2nd – 6th October, 2023.

Orange commenced the celebration of CSW with a launch witnessed by staff of the company, government representatives and the media held on Monday 2nd October, 2023 at the Orange Headquarters, Regent Road, Hill Station in Freetown.

Speaking at the event, Orange Chief Executive Officer, Sekou Amadou Bah, underscored the importance of the CSW, pointing out that Orange is striving every day to be better in the service of their customers.

He further acknowledged the role of the call center team, back office, shops, agents, amongst others, in all corners of Sierra Leone to deliver services to customers.

According to him, CSW is a celebration of their core values, reflection of their journey so far and a time to purse and take a step back to appreciate achievements.

A representative of the Ministry of Communications, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Abdulai Sankoh, commended Orange on its strides in ensuring network connectivity nationwide. He further underscored the importance of bridging the digital divide and the role of Artificial Intelligence and Technology in promoting innovation and technology in the country.

“Today we join the rest of the world to celebrate Customer Service Week. It is one of the most important weeks of the year from the 2nd to 6th of October 2023. It is time for us to highlight the great work that Orange Sierra Leone employees do for our customers. I also believe it’s time to think about our customers as well. Hence, it’s a great time to ask the important question. What does our customers want.

Customers actually want a great experience and customer service play a big part of that. It goes beyond the frontline interacting with customers. As proven by our Customer Perception Day launch for 69 Days flat that has become an iconic activity not just for us in OSL but also for Orange as a Group. I would like us to put our hands together for the great strive we have made together to becoming the most customer centric / transversal company in the group and I believe in Sierra

Leone as well. It shows that Customer Service goes beyond just a Department. It is the responsibility of every employee to give our customers whether internal or external a good experience. This is why I believe that Customer Experience is a philosophy that has become a part of our company’s culture. Every employee has an impact on the Customer Service and Experience an organization provide to its customers. Customers are people and they just want to be treated right. As a

company we want to be better in customer service, we want to do something different, we want to be different for our customers, We wanted to be transparent by interacting directly with our customer [live chat / my customer my boss] to establish trust. We wanted our customers to love us. At the same time, we know we are not perfect but we were ready to face our fears with a goal to serve our customers better by ensuring that we fix things when they go wrong.

I have come to realize even more that its so amazing to serve people and humanity and that is through customer service. But what is more important are the impressions we live behind during every interaction which is a unique opportunity for our customer to form an opinion.

This is why this day is important because our Agents at every touch point have to come to work and put on a smile on their faces every day and be nice even when they are having a bad day.
This is why AI is important; where the convergence of AI and human creativity promises a harmonious future.

AI is revolutionizing customer service and transforming the way organizations manage customer experience. As a customer experience leader, it’s crucial to understand the potential of AI and how to leverage it effectively to elevate and not deduct from the customer journey.
A focus on using AI on delivering positive CX is not just good for business, its good for society as a whole.

The questions is not why AI to complement CX but why not AI to complement CX? This is why Orange Sierra Leone must make the conscious steps to take advantage of AI to improve our service delivery and commitment to our customers.

The public sector being the world’s largest service provider, any improvement in public services will positively impact millions of people. Hence, it doesn’t matter whether you are in the private or public sector. Consumers want you to know them, to understand what goals they are trying to accomplish by doing business with you.

Today’s theme is [One Team, One Goal] which is the ability to work together towards a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organizational objectives,” Orange Customer Experience Director, Alpha Bundu, stated.

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03 October 2023

BY THOMAS GBOW
The Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) is the oldest indigenous commercial bank in the country established fifty years ago by the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL), while Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB), which is also owned by the GoSL, became another indigenous commercial bank after Barclays Bank had wrapped up business in Sierra Leone. The third indigenous commercial bank is Union Trust Bank (UTB) which is owned hundred percent by Sierra Leoneans as shareholders.
These indigenous commercial banks are working assiduously toward contributing largely to the economic development of Sierra Leone in terms of effective service delivery to the general public as financial institutions.

Like all other financial institutions the world over, our indigenous commercial banks provide various financial services in a more transparent and accountable manner to win the confidence of the general public so that more individuals and institutions will be convinced to do business with them. But since these financial institutions are run by human beings, we sometimes expect human errors to occur because of our differences in character and behaviour.
It is against this backdrop that stringent rules and regulations are instituted by these banks for their staffs and punishments are meted out to defaulters including legal action(s).

It is however unfortunate that though the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) and Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB) are the People’s Banks, some unscrupulous Sierra Leoneans have taken predilection in writing unpleasant things about them so that the general public would have low opinions about them.

For instance, even though the Management of SLCB has a non-compromising tolerance for any sort of fraud committed by its staff and therefore does not sweep such acts under the carpet, irresponsible journalists would present such fraudulent acts as if the Management were in support of them.

Because of greed, selfishness and extortion, some would even attempt to blackmail Executive Officers of our indigenous commercial banks whenever they take legal actions against their staff members caught in fraudulent activities.

But what these unpatriotic journalists have failed to realize is that while the dividends of foreign commercial banks operating in Sierra Leone are remitted abroad to their parent financial institutions, the dividends of both SLCB and RCB go straight into our National Consolidated Fund instead of individuals’ pockets.

Such dividends are expended by the Government for development programmes aimed at improving the lives of Sierra Leoneans, irrespective of region or ethnicity. Instead of vilifying our indigenous commercial banks for selfish reasons, it is about time we partnered with them in terms of national development - a kind of symbiotic relationship where we can depend on each other in particular ways.

By and large, it is gross unpatriotism for unscrupulous journalists to vilify our indigenous commercial banks with apparent impunity, when they (the indigenous commercial banks) are contributing in no small measures to national development as compared to those foreign commercial banks in the country. Let’s therefore change our negative perceptions about them and promote their business activities for the good of the nation.

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10 October 2023

In an official public notice released yesterday Tuesday 3rd October, 2023, the Ministry of Finance has revealed the schedule for the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) Budget Preparation Process.

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26 September 2023

The Bank of Sierra Leone on Tuesday 19th September, 2023 issued a public notice on the off-shore – trading of foreign currencies for the Leone.

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03 October 2023

Orange Mobile Telecommunications Company has made an unprecedented move in Sierra Leone's telecommunications industry by launching its cutting-edge 5G technology. With the trial taking place in Freetown's Central Business District, Orange Sierra Leone (OSL) aims to revolutionise connectivity in the country and provide faster and more reliable data transmission for its customers. The technology is also expected to propel Sierra Leone into a new era of advanced telecommunications infrastructure.

Sekou Amadou Bah, CEO of Orange Sierra Leone, emphasised the significance of this 5G trial during the launch, stating that it has the potential to catalyse rapid technological advancement and economic development for the country.

“Introducing the 5G trial holds immense importance as it can build the pathway to catalyse rapid technological advancement and economic development that will enable the Internet of Things to reach full potential,” Sekou Amadou Bah said.

The deployment of 5G by Orange Sierra Leone marks a major milestone in Sierra Leone's telecommunications landscape. With its promise of ultra-fast speeds, low latency, and enhanced network capacity, 5G is set to transform the way people connect and communicate.

Furthermore, the introduction of 5G technology is not only beneficial to individual consumers but also supports various industries such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, and agriculture. The CEO highlighted the potential of 5G to enhance communication and enable transformative digital services that will positively impact these sectors.

“Undoubtedly, 5G technology has the potential to enhance communication and enable transformative digital services that will positively impact various sectors like education, health, manufacturing, and commercial agriculture,” Sekou Amadou Bah affirmed.

Sekou Drame, CEO of Orange Sonatel, mentioned during his remarks that Orange Sierra Leone has invested considerable resources to ensure the successful rollout of this cutting-edge technology. He stated that this aligns with the government's priorities to drive investment in technology, infrastructure, and digitalization.

“I am delighted that Orange Sierra Leone is providing leadership in setting the technology standard baseline for 5G by rolling out this cutting-edge pilot stage on our network in line with a corporate vision of becoming the first in class mobile internet service provider in Sierra Leone. As the government commits to implement the five big game changers, this technological milestone for Orange Sierra Leone is in alignment with the Government’s vision to drive investment in technology, infrastructure and digitalization,” Sekou Drame said.

Chief Minister David Sengeh praised Orange Sierra Leone for aligning the company’s vision with Sierra Leone's commitment to digital inclusion. He recognized the company’s investment in this advanced infrastructure as a demonstration of their unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of their clients and positioning Sierra Leone at the forefront of telecommunications development.

Experts predict that the OSL 5G network will have a transformative impact on various sectors, including e-commerce, entertainment, and communication. This advanced infrastructure also has the potential to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth in the country.

Fatmata Kargbo, a loyal Orange subscriber for 13 years, expressed her excitement for the introduction of 5G technology, stating that it sets a new standard for connectivity in the country. She believes that this cutting-edge technology will unlock tremendous opportunities for both consumers and businesses, offering seamless connectivity, faster data speeds, and enhanced capabilities.

Overall, the launch of Orange Sierra Leone's 5G technology represents a significant step towards advancing telecommunications in Sierra Leone, bringing the country into a new era of connectivity and supporting its economic development goals.