Lagos, October 20, 2021 – All is now set for the various activities to mark this year’s Ecobank Day across 33 African countries where it operates. The Ecobank Day is a flagship annual event, when staff of the pan African bank show commitment and give back to local communities where the bank has operations. This year’s event scheduled for Saturday 23 October will focus on creating awareness on how to check mental health issues and stop the discrimination against victims of mental health. Arrangements have been made for staff, their families, customers and members of the community to engage in health walks across the country, health checks and fitness sessions, amongst others.
Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Ecobank Nigeria, Jide Sipe said this year’s Ecobank Day with the theme: Mental Health – Time to Talk and Act! marks the start of the final year of the three-year campaign to raise awareness and help prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Africa. He noted that the bank will be hosting impactful discussion sessions and mental health empowerment training programs to further raise awareness and help reduce stigma and discrimination in Nigeria.
According to him, apart from marking Ecobank Day with a webinar, which is both virtual and physical, the bank has also lined up various activities to enhance the mental status of various Nigerians. He explained further that “In the webinar, we will discuss mental health disorders, raise awareness about them, and the care and support options available. We will be encouraging people to talk about their feelings and suggest lifestyle behaviour changes which can also make a difference – like exercising regularly. There is often a lot of stigma around mental health. Those affected can face isolation, exclusion from work and family life, increased stress levels, negative addictive behaviours and substance abuse. No one should be made to feel ashamed because of a mental health issue. It can happen to anyone at any time.”
Due to the importance of the topic, Ecobank Nigeria has invited select speakers that will be making presentations on the Day. They include Dr Olusola Olowookere, Consultant Psychiatrist/ Forensic Medical Examiner; Titilayo Medunoye, Founder/CEO, Milky Express; Oluwakemi Akintoyese, Clinical Psychologist; Hadiza Blell -Olo (Di’Ja, Artist and Humanitarian); Dr. Tomilola Oyekunle, a registered Psychologist and host of others,
Since the inaugural Ecobank Day in 2013, Ecobank employees have supported a variety of causes and shown compassion for the welfare of our various local communities. Previous initiatives have focused on orphanages, cancer screening, education, maternal healthcare, safe water supply and malaria prevention.