Ecobank Prioritizes Mental Health of Staff, Customers

By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel

As part of its corporate action to support general well-being among citizens, Ecobank Nigeria has said that it focuses on the mental health of staff members, customers, and members of the communities where it operates.

Considering the enormous stress people encounter while making it up to their respective day-to-day tasks, the financial institution said there is a need to create awareness on how colleagues can strike a balance between work and other aspects of their lives.

The Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Patrick Akinwuntan, stressed this during his speech at the 2021 Ecobank Day event which had the theme Mental Health – Time to Talk and Act.

The event was held in Lagos, crowning the bank’s three-year campaign to raise awareness and help prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

In his view, colleagues should be able to vent their mental health issues among one another. It helps make one sensitive to offering support and managing the stress available in a working environment.

For this reason, he said, “So, this year, we are focused on mental health, educating people on how to identify and manage the disease, while also helping reduce stigma and discrimination.

“We all know that Nigeria is a country with about 200 million people, and there is a lot of stress on all of us. At Ecobank, we encourage staff to speak out through word of mouth, written communication, WhatsApp, SMS message, even if it is an anonymous call to support victims.”

He said the organisation was determined to identify and eliminate factors that can potentially breathe down negative effects on its journey to better mental health.

In her contribution at the annual flagship event, the Executive Director, Commercial Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, Mrs Carol Oyedeji, encouraged staff members not to allow themselves to be drained by fatigue and other things that could negatively impact their mental health.

“Please when you close work, shut down your system and find ways to connect with your spouse, family and in any other thing that will give you joy and happiness,” she encouraged.