Establishment of Interbank Burundi Branch at Rumonge

After the northern region branches of Ngozi in 1996, Kirundo in 1997 and Muyinga in 2001, and the central region Gitega branch in 2000, Interbank Burundi has just opened its first branch in the southern region, in Rumonge town, nearby the market.

Being the 5th Interbank Burundi Branch inside the country, the 11th delocalised branch and the 16th operational site of a wide distribution network comprising 1 Central Agency at the Headquarters, 11 delocalised branches and 4 banking counters fully operating, the Rumonge branch, with counters opened since Monday July 28th , inaugurated the resumption of the national coverage of our distribution network.

1. Why establishing a branch at Rumonge

Being the fourth town of the country, Rumonge is one of the most busy commercial centre of Burundi, enjoying the oldest commercial tradition resulting from its lake Tanganyika neighbourhood and the historical presence of Arab traders who developed multiform exchanges with Tanzania to and from which several flows of goods are facilitated through the port of Rumonge.

Being also a crossroads of trade exchanges between Bujumbura and other trade centres of the southern shore of lake Tanganyika, Rumonge has several economic and social infrastructures: oil palm factories, fresh and dry food distribution trading activities, schools and hospitals…

This is the reason why the Bank has, since a long time, important segments of clients in Rumonge, made of more than 300 clients holding close business relations with our clients from Bujumbura, Ngozi, Muyinga, Kayanza and Gitega.

The establishment of a branch at Rumonge, as from July 28th , is therefore meant to increase those exchanges and to make them more efficient and will constitute an important stock of resources, whose potential is estimated to 3,500 M.

2. Functioning

The branch is run by Mr Desire NIYIGABA, who was previously managing the Quartier Asiatique Branch, in Bujumbura, that he had joined in January 2003.

A university graduate who worked within the credit department, Mr Désiré NIYIGABA has acquired a long commercial and inter-branch operations experience, whose assets made him a candidate to run the new entity of Rumonge.

Only aged 33, he was married in December 2002.

Like other branches, Rumonge branch is computer-interconnected to the central system at the Headquarters and has an emergency radio system in case of rural telephony breakdowns.

Like also other upcountry branches, the branch can make its own accountancy, which will help monitor its daily profitability.

IBB-Infos / 01 August 2003
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