Honourable Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay, Speaker of the National Assembly, Saturday officially inaugurated the Reliance Financial kiosk at the Albert market in Banjul at a ceremony held at the market.

The Albert market kiosk is the seventh outlet that Reliance Financial Services has established in its eight month of operation in the Gambia.

Speaking at the ceremony, Speaker Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay said that the inauguration of the kiosk is a manifestation of a fulfilled promise of taking banking to the door steps of every Gambian. She added that, the initiative is central to government’s development agenda under President Jammeh, who is resolved to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty by 50% by the year 2015.

The National Assembly Speaker pointed out that the inaugurated kiosk is of great significance to not only the Banjulians, but to the entire nation since the market serve as a central commercial centre. “The inaugurated kiosk is not only a savings outlet but, also a micro-credit outlet which a small and medium entrepreneur can benefit enormously from. I therefore would strongly encourage each and every one, especially women, to open and operate an account with the kiosk without further delay in a bid to realise your long dreams of accumulating wealth, accessing credit facilities that you require and deserve,” she urged.

While commending Reliance Financial Services for being pro-active and responsive to the needs of market vendors, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay challenged the stakeholders of the market to patronise the kiosk and make it more successful within the shortest possible time in a bid to enable them convert it into a full fledge branch.

Baboucarr Khan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Reliance Financial Services said, the Albert market kiosk which is approved by the Central Bank of The Gambia, is part of his company’s national expansion strategy and objective of taking banking services to the doorstep of every Gambian community.

According to him, the initiative is to enable the market stakeholders to save their daily earnings internally in the market. He revealed that, with a hundred dalasis, a passport photo size, an identity or voters card, a vendor can start operating an account.

He then assured the vendors of his company’s commitment to provide security personnel.

For her part, Mam Sai Njie Sanneh, Acting Mayoress of Banjul City Council (BCC), advised market vendors to operate an account and save their daily earnings with the kiosk.

Alhagie Musa Baba Leigh, Chairman of the market committee, who spoke on behalf of the vendors, expressed similar sentiments.

The ceremony was attended by National Assembly members, elders of Banjul, and a cross section of market vendors.