NCBA has today hosted a private schools forum in Ruaka, themed Future-Ready Schools: Embracing Sustainability & Innovation. The forum provided an opportunity for dialogue on how private schools can strengthen their operations, diversify revenue streams, and adopt innovative business products and sustainable financing solutions.
The forum also focused on equipping schools with practical information on green funding and green practices. They include Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) projects and solar leasing. NCBA has entered a partnership with Water.Org to offer the Wash Loan product dubbed NCBA H20 loan and the NGO is also providing technical assistance to customers and partners willing to offer credit guarantee.
Commenting on the engagement, NCBA Group Director, Retail Banking, Dennis Njau emphasised the bank’s mission, “Customer obsession is at the core of our business at NCBA, and this is why we have organised this forum; to get feedback from our customers, so that together we can co-create solutions that work for them. At today’s session, we showcased tailored offerings that address real challenges schools face, from financing facility upgrades to managing operational risks.”
The bank introduced to the forum, digital financial management solutions such as SOMA Plus. It is a digital school management system that simplifies administrative tasks, integrates mobile payments and empowers parents and school leaders with transparent and real-time data. It also highlighted other digital cash management solutions such as NCBA Tills and NCBA Connect Plus, an internet banking platform that enable fees collection and reconciliation for businesses in the education sector.
NCBA also introduced its portfolio of financing products that are aimed at providing solutions to meet the schools’ requirements for sustainability. It includes asset finance for infrastructure growth and school bus financing, insurance products such as Student Personal Accident Cover and School Fees Protection Cover, and leasing facilities.
“This forum has been very helpful to us as school owners. We have learnt about financial and risk management solutions, and we now see how NCBA can be a strategic partner in growing our institutions sustainably. Key highlights covered sustainable financing for Water and Sanitation solutions, Digital Cash Management Solutions that drive efficiency in fees collections and payments, Asset Financing for different infrastructural needs at schools and wealth protection solutions under bancassurance have now positioned the Bank amongst our Association’s umbrella of schools as the preferred one stop shop financial services provider. We do look forward to collaborating with NCBA on this front.” Said Hiram Mbugua, Chairman, Kiambaa Private Schools Association (KIPSA).
The future ready school owners’ engagement forms part of NCBA’s strategy to engage its customers and providing them with tools, knowledge and financial solutions to drive the economy.